A UK launch date has yet to be set.”When it comes to the battery then it is almost comparable to an existing phone, and when it comes to full practical use then you won’t be disappointed,” he says. But he hints that further development may be required: “This is a completely new technology. The company was the first to launch last year but it was dogged by technical glitches and poor handset supplies. The success, therefore, of 3G is very much in the hands of the phone manufacturers.The early signs aren’t promising: Vodafone has been particularly critical of the early 3G phones, which it says are bulky and have a poor battery life.Sony Ericsson revealed its first 3G phone, the Z1010, a year ago and Ihara says it will go on sale in Scandinavia in a fortnight.

We will find out if this is true by Easter, when there is traditionally an increase in mobile phone sales.”If Sony Ericsson is to mount a serious challenge to its bigger rivals, it most conquer the market for 3G phones, which offer high-speed mobile internet access. Europe’s mobile phone operators are preparing to launch 3G later this year and they will be keen to avoid repeating the mistakes made by Hutchison 3G. Ihara blames this on Sony Ericsson’s component suppliers, which he says didn’t predict the sudden rise in orders for phones quickly enough.Critics believe, however, that some of the blame should be laid at the company’s feet.One senior source at a UK mobile operator says: “Sony Ericsson suffered from a poor supply chain Take the T610, for example. We never got the volumes we wanted and the company was poor at getting deliveries to us Sony Ericsson claims to have fixed the problems. Sony Ericsson are definitely players now.”The upturn in Sony Ericsson’s fortunes is well timed Demand for new phones is surging. Consumers in Europe are beginning to trade in their old mobile phones for new models with colour screens, internet access and digital cameras. And new markets are opening in countries such as China, where mobile phone ownership is rocketing.But some question whether Sony Ericsson has the supply of phones to meet the demand.

In the run-up to Christmas, the company suffered a shortage of handsets and retailers complained that they were unable to satisfy consumer demand. That is now very visible,” says Ben Wood, an analyst at technology research firm Gartner.”I was one of the people giving them a real kicking last year. But the T610 has turned out to be a killer for Sony Ericsson. Going into 2004, the joint venture is really starting to deliver. In its last set of quarterly results, the company reported an impressive 16 per cent surge in sales, helping it to post its first profit for over a year. Sony Ericsson’s critics were silenced.”For a long time you couldn’t see the Sony stamp on the products.