3 Italia

Telecoms companies are well represented in Second Life. Perhaps this is inevitable, since they all like to portray their brand as associated with a combination of fun, technology and innovation - something that it is reinforced by having a presence in Second Life. One I'd not noticed before, though I daresay it's been here for ages, is the Italian division of mobile internet company, 3.

3 (or more properly: Hutchison 3G, at least in the UK) is a global brand, owned by Hutchison Whampoa, and describes itself as "the mobile media company". The name 3G comes from third generation wireless services, a high-speed cellular phone network that supports streamed video and other forms "rich content" internet media. As of December 2007, 3 Italia was the large supplier of 3G internet services in Italy, with around 8 million registered customers. It also operates HSDPA wireless broadband and Digital Mobile TV services. Hutchison Whampoa is based in Hong Kong, and has interests in a wide range of industries. I'm not clear whether they have, or simply plan to divest themselves of their holdings in 3 Italia.

As for the sim itself, it is modeled as a semi-tropical island, shaped like a number '3'. While there are numerous links to websites, and hefty promotion of the Nokia N95, I found the place to be rather lacklustre. There is only one building on the island, comprising a number of blue glass plates, loosely "stitched" together. Elsewhere you will find a bar, dance area and pool. Tucked away in the South of the island is a sort of amphitheatre. I have provided a few snaps so you can judge for yourself, but I felt the sim lacked coherence, purpose or, frankly, much of interest. If I had to make a call, I'd suggest that it was actually a "first fit" build - a rapid development to get a toehold, show to the company what is possible - it is easier to impress when there has been no other experience to compare it against - and form the foundation for a more considered build. I hope so, because its current content leaves a fair amount to be desired.

NGP2

Why NGP2? I have (or rather, had) no idea, but that's the name of the sim I want to tell you about tonight. It belongs to Telecom Italia, but is intended as a showcase for their many partners. A bit of rootling about on t'interweb reveals the meaning of NGP2: Next Generation Partnership Program. So that's a mystery solved. The company Telecom is Italy's domestic leader in telecommunications products, supplying 22 million fixed lines, 36.3 million mobile lines and 7.6 million Alice-branded broadband connections.

The company has had its own 4-sim presence in Second Life since it's official opening in July ,2007. Here's the machinima made to promote it at the time:

I don't know much about the history of the NGP2 sim. And, in truth, there's also not a great deal to be said about its construction. The principal element is a 20+ storey Ecosystem Tower, each floor of which is capable of holding offices for Telecom Italia partners. The offices are all identical, as far as I can see, each has an ante-room and a conference room, and differ only in the slideshows on display. They are quite densely packed, both horizontally and vertically, and therefore I doubt they could ever be used for more than the occasional meeting. There seems nothing to prevent "chat seepage" between offices. The tower also features an auditorium and, floating above the tower, a restaurant. There is a second auditorium, principallyintended for music events. Finally, there's a quartet of "immersive 360degree photo rooms" - though I'm sure a more elegant term exists for these. You can see one of them in the picture set below: