Verizon Wireless and other 3G carriers are expected to use the new networks to challenge dial-up Internet service providers for customers. Verizon sources said the average Internet cruising speed on the network would be about the same as those offered by America Online and other dial-up service providers. Some have already taken notice. EarthLink participated in a trial run of the Verizon Wireless network in Philadelphia. "We're talking to them about maybe doing a broader trial in a larger area," said EarthLink spokesman Arley Baker. The company could possibly resell the high-speed wireless service to its own customers. Sources wouldn't reveal any details on how much the Verizon Wireless service will cost or what people will be able to do on it. But in other 3G networks, such as the one NTT DoCoMo launched in September, customers can make video calls, for example. Many U.S. wireless carriers have said in the past that they plan to let people read emails with attachments over their phones, something not possible now. A December announcement from Verizon Wireless offers some hints as to what might be coming up, though. The company announced at the time that about 20 companies participated in the trial of the network in Philadelphia. Video delivered to personal digital assistants with a Net connection was one of the services tested, according to Sasson Darwish, president of Emblaze Systems, which participated in the trial. He said video news clips from Reuters and ESPN were sent to PDAs with a wireless connection. Emblaze Systems also tested wireless messages that combined different media such as video attachments on an email, Darwish said. So-called MMS, which stands for multimedia messaging, is one of the expected moneymakers from the new wireless networks, according to various analysts. Games are also a likely offering. For example, the World Wrestling Federation has signed several deals with phone makers and wireless carriers to develop games based on its characters for 3G phones.
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