Investment bank Nomura has reportedly predicted that Hutchison Whampoa will extricate itself from its 3G businesses by the end of 2006. The speculation follows hot on the heels of a similar prediction by Standard & Poors credit rating agency, which even went a step further by suggesting that Hutch’s Italian operation 3 Italia was close to folding. Analysts report that Hutch has invested USD22 billion in 3G technology and is burning cash at the rate of USD12.8 million per day.