While 3G Internet access has always looked like a great improvement over the WAP offered by ordinary GSM, the providers’ business model has seemed to exist in another dimension from real users.

In a world where at home most of us now pay a fast price for permanent broadband connections, the providers have wanted us to pay per megabyte for wireless access to the Internet. The arrival of wi-fi, and even wi-fi phones, has made that look more and more unrealistic.

Now one of Sweden’s major 3G operators, 3, is offering the X-Series, mobile Internet at a fast monthly price.

According to the company’s press release, not only does this mean access to mobile TV through Sling, Hotmail, and instant messaging, it also includes Skype, the Internet telephone company. The cost is SEK 149 (without 3Gold, Sling or 3Show) or SEK 299 (around USD 42) a month. That’s steep, about what you’d already pay here for an 8 MBs broadband connection at home, but certainly better than paying per downloaded Megabyte.

The specific services offered include:

• Google search
• Hotmail and messaging from Microsoft
• TV from Sling
• Access to PCs via Orb
• Yahoo’s mobile service Y!Go
• TV news from 3Show
• Music from 3Gold

The newspaper “Metro” reports that initially only the Nokia N73 will work with the new service when it launches in February. 3 says more phones from other makers are on the way.