According to the GSA, in December 2005 there were 100 3G networks in operation in 40 countries in the world. In Asia, Europe, and the USA, telecommunication companies use W-CDMA technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks.
In 2001, NTT DoCoMo—one of the giant telecommunication companies in Japan—was the first telecommunication company to launch a commercial W-CDMA network. The introduction of 3G services within Europe began in early 2003.
The official 3G mobile network is the systems and services based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the International Mobile Telecommunications programme, "IMT-2000". A boost was given to 3G mobile networks in Europe when the European Union council suggested that the 3G operators should cover 80% of the European national populations by the end of 2005. The first service of 3G in north Africa started in Morocco late of March provided by the new company, Wana. The other operator should start their network in the middle of 2007. Vodafone Egypt (also known as CLICK GSM) will provide the service in Egypt in the middle of 2007. Early 2007, Vodacom Tanzania switched on its 3G HSDPA in Dar ea salaam. With the installation of a 3G HSDPA network, Tanzania is only the second country in Africa with such technology, the first being South Africa. In March 2007, Nigeria awarded 3G telecommunication licenses to the nation's three major GSM companies and a relatively unknown operator, Alheri Engineering Co. Ltd, to enable them to expand their scope of operation in the industry.
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