[Suzanna]

I have no figures to back this up, but I doubt Amazon is footing the entire bill for the 3G services. Most countries outside the U.S. used to be charged a $2 Whispernet surcharge on every single book they purchased ... even books someone downloaded through the internet onto their computer. I know not that long ago I couldn't download free ebooks from Amazon - they were $2 here. A couple of years back Amazon finally dropped this charge for Canadians and some countries, but from what I've read here it looks like there are still countries that have this $2 charge attached to every book.

I doubt it's a coincidence that Amazon began to limit 3G browsing on their current model after eliminating the surcharge from some countries. They'll probably continue to offer 3G, even limited 3G, as long as this surcharge is in place elsewhere in the world. If they eliminate it everywhere, that will be when 3G disappears entirely.