Now, get ready to enjoy an enhanced gaming experience with third generation (3G) technology!

With the onset of 3G technology, there will be high data transfer rates over longer distances, efficient bandwidth use, map and positioning services and multi-player gaming facilities.

With the mobile value added services (VAS) market pegged at around USD 45 billion, the latest trend is 3G spectrum which is expected to create a paradigm shift in the VAS market in India. According to various estimates, the number of mobile handset users in the country is expected to reach nearly 800 million in next four years, and 3G will change the way people communicate.

Says Nitish Mittersain, CEO of Mobile entertainment company Nazara Technologies, "3G is the new buzzword in the world of telecommunications whose launch opens the door to innovative value added services which will bring everything to one convergent device.

Larger bandwidth will permit high quality and large games to be downloaded easily and quickly, enabling a large number of consumers to access such games in a fraction of seconds."

"High end mobile devices with more processing power, memory and larger screen embedded with speed will enhance the overall gaming experience for the consumer. In fact, 3G users are expected to spend at least 3-4 times more on gaming as compared to normal users," Mittersain, also the chairman of the mobile committee of Indian Merchants' Chamber, told PTI.

According to him, multi-player and social gaming is set to see the biggest uptake as Indian version of games on SNS platform will be sought after by avid gamers.

"Nazara has already launched social mobile Internet games such as Mobile Housie which has received a great response from the users," he says.

Jump Games CEO Salil Bhargava anticipates that 3G would have a positive impact on the consumption of mobile games.

"Faster download speeds and newer, more powerful devices, will help in offering better user-interfaces thereby improving content discovery. 3G will also help in offering users enhanced gaming experience with possibilities of multiplier and 3D gaming," he says.

On the impact mobile Internet-based games will see after 3G's arrival, he says, "Gaming will become more persistent. Faster connection speeds will enable offering higher quality gaming experience to the end user. Going forward, features like in-game micro-transactions will also help increase the game play longevity and keep the user hooked to the game." .