The Ministry of Information Industry (MII) yesterday issued the
technical specifications of two foreign third-generation (3G)
standards for mobile communications, a move that could facilitate
the introduction of 3G services in the country.
The two standards are Europe-initiated WCDMA and US-backed CDMA
2000.
The ministry's move will provide Chinese operators with two more
options besides the home-grown TD-SCDMA standard to build their 3G
networks.
In January 2006, the MII issued specifications for TD-SCDMA,
adopting it as a 3G technology in China.
Publication of WCDMA and CDMA 2000 specifications came a day
before the World Telecommunication Day today, an indication that
the Chinese government will stick to its promise of adopting a
"technology-neutral" stance when awarding operators 3G
licenses.
Publication of technical specifications for 3G standards will
boost collaborations between different companies and form a mature
industry chain, an MII statement said.
The government started trials of 3G technology - covering all
the three standards - in June 2001. Six domestic operators,
numerous equipment makers and nearly 10,000 engineers participated
in the trials, the MII said.
Officials believe the trials will enable China to avoid hiccups
in the early stages of the commercial roll-out of 3G.
3G services did not fare well initially in Europe because of a
number of technical reasons such as short battery life of mobile
phones and a lack of compelling applications.
(China Daily May 17, 2007)