"I'm interested in China's 3G services for high-speed data services and my most-needed functions are Internet access and a faster e-mail service," said Dimitri Kaczmarek, who works for a finance firm in Shanghai.

Kaczmarek wanted to buy the Samsung L288 (2,800 yuan) but it was sold out , so he bought a ZTE U980 (3,800 yuan) dual-model phone and a ZTE MU318 data card (700 yuan), which can be plugged into a laptop for Internet access.

An IT engineer named Wang said: "It's cool to have a 3G phone and it's the right time for me to replace phone." Wang admitted he would mainly use voice services on his LG KD876 (2,500 yuan).

Credit cards were not accepted yesterday, which meant some people were unable to buy 3G phones.

Users can choose packages costing from 28 yuan for 150 minutes to 88 yuan for 600 minutes. During the trial, users can enjoy a 50-percent fee discount, which makes 3G costs close to 2G services, according to China Mobile.

(Shanghai Daily April 2, 2008)