Phil points out the latest in HK's obession with mobile phones:

The number of mobile phone accounts in Hong Kong has topped 6.9 million, exceeding the city's population for the first time as cellular operators continue to cut prices. Cell phone accounts, including prepaid phone cards, increased by 183,000 in October. The 2.7 per cent increase brings the total number of accounts to 6.94 million, according to the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta). This gave Hong Kong a penetration rate of 102 per cent, the regulator said.

So co-incidently two things happened today in the mobile world. Firstly from the SCMP this:

Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa planned to kick off its local third-generation (3G) mobile telecommunications services next month, the company's managing director Canning Fok said on Monday...The company set the price of new 3G handsets at HK$4,380 (US$560) and monthly subscription fees at HK$238 to HK$558 dollars, Mr Fok said.

Universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), commonly known as 3G technology, allows users to gain high-speed Internet access, send and receive e-mails, see video images of people they are talking to, take photographs with the handsets and play electronic games.

Hutchison Telecommunications is considering its legal options over a survey highly critical of the company's multi-billion dollar "3" third-generation (3G) mobile phone network.

The mobile phone company said the survey, which claimed to have found a low level of customer satisfaction with the new network, was "of its nature, designed to deliver a critical outcome".

The Australian Computer Society survey comes at a bad time for Hutchison, which is already suffering handset shortages during the crucial Christmas period.

Hutchison's spin-doctors will quickly discount this stinging experience as a one-off. However given that 95% of the 20+ plus 3 customers I have encountered share my deeply disappointing experience, perhaps they would be well advised to reflect on the facts as opposed to resorting to spin.

All I can deduce from my experience and research is a systemic, widespread and potentially terminal case of 3 customer dissatisfaction. Not only is it the extent of the dissatisfaction but the strength with which it is held. One unhappy 3 customer told me that legal advice suggested that the case for class action to demand full refunds was strong. A different 3 customer suggested starting some "anti-3 activism".

Clearly, Hutchison have some issues. But relying on the oft-repeated excuse about early stage 'teething problems' wears thin extremely quickly (did they simply launch prematurely?) and is of no consolation to deeply frustrated customers - customers that the market deserves to know about.