Nokia goes 2.5G

Mobile phone maker Nokia says a market for high-speed mobile internet phones may exist by Christmas, but a full range of applications will not be available until next year.

The industry hopes GPRS (general packet radio service) will reignite consumer interest before the launch of third-generation (3G) mobile services. Nokia decided to start selling GPRS phones, also known as 2.5-generation, in Europe from the third quarter of this year.