The former head of 3G development at British Telecom, Peter Cochrane, has said that third generation mobile phones might never happen, because many of the companies looking to develop networks will collapse under the financial strain of paying for licences.
Speaking to the BBC's Money Programme Cochrane said the 3G auction process was 'a really good study in madness', and that it was 'a bit like lemmings going over the edge of a cliff'.
Cochrane was responsible for BT's 3G research programme until November 2000.
'Make no mistake about it, this is a fairly serious game of poker. Some people are betting everything on this technology,' he told the Money Programme, which is due to broadcast on BBC2 tomorrow.
Over £22.5 billion sterling was spent by the five companies purchasing UK licences last April.
'I think Europe has shot itself in the foot, and certainly the UK has, because I don't think we are going to see 3G,' Cochrane said.
