vering about 75 million people, or about a quarter of the US population. Not to be outdone, Sprint Corp. plans to make 3G available to about 129 million people in 39 greater metropolitan areas by mid-2005, and across its entire national network by early 2006. On the GSM side, Cingular Wireless offered 3G service to six cities at the end of 2004, including San Francisco, Detroit, Phoenix and Seattle. But Cingular expects to have most major markets covered by the end of 2006. And because the Cingular network will be UMTS-based, US subscribers to Cingular's service should be able to use their equipment overseas. Other recent 3G Milestones include: A music concert recently streamed to 3G users in the UK. A live news report aired on the BBC using a tripod-mounted 3G phone. Forget cash or credit cards-you can now use your phone to pay for a variety of services, from restaurant bills to drinks cans. Despite all the challenges, mobile video is already a reality in the US and beyond. Established 2.5G and early 3G carriers are reporting considerable interest from subscribers in current partnerships with content companies. For example, subscribers on the Sprint PCS Vision network in the United States have sent more than 100 million pictures and 15-second videos since November 2002. In 2003, there were 5.1 million video clip message users, mostly in Japan. By 2008, the ARC Group predicts that over 250 million users worldwide will spend more than $5.4 billion USD annually on mobile video. In short, the best is yet to come! These are just a few examples of what 3G offers today. Let's look at how these services evolved and what 3G means specifically to Mobile videoconferencing and Mobile Multimedia. CAN You SEE ME Now? Mobile videoconferencing is widely regarded as one of the signature services to be provided over 3G mobile networks. Interactive bi-directional multimedia applications like videoconferencing require two to three times more bandwidth than is required by single connection calls. Not surprisingly, mobile operators h