A Missed Opportunity?

Did the big mobile telephone operators miss a trick with 3G? Did the astronomical costs of securing 3G licenses prevent them from innovating and shaking up the broadband market? The value proposition of having access to broadband anywhere surely remains a very attractive one for the customer; and with a little more tweaking and investment, 3G speeds could be consistently superior to the real world speeds that currently come with broadband from fixed lines. My 8Mbps ADSL connection does not deliver more than 2-2.5 Mbps on a good day, and this is despite the fact that I live very close to the exchange; furthermore the fixed nature of my connection means that it is only accessible throughout my house. Were my mobile phone company offering mobile broadband with good coverage in all urban areas, a comparable download speed, and the same download limit for a competitive price, I would switch over tomorrow.