April 03, 2008
Mainland China Launches TD-SCDMA Field Tests Today
Taipei, April 1, 2008 (CENS)--Mainland China begins field tests of its TD-SCDMA (time division synchronization code division multiple access) mobile services in eight major cities today, suggesting the mainland will deploy the third-generation mobile service earlier than expected.
The state-run China Mobile, the mainland`s No.1 mobile-service provider, announced the field-test outset all of a sudden and did not say how long it will continue the tests. It will test the service in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and Qinhuandao by offering 20,000 users representing all quarters of the society free handsets, PCMCIA cards and a RMB800 subsidy on month rate.
The mainland began developing the mobile technology in 2001 in a bid to help the mainland`s homegrown telecom-service and device vendors save expensive costs on imported technologies including WCDMA and CDMA-2000.
Industry watchers estimated the mainland`s TD-SCDMA market will likely pose a lucrative US$20 billion business. Taiwanese telecom-device vendors including MediaTek Inc., Inventec Appli@nce and BenQ are expected to be among the first group of Taiwanese manufacturers to benefit from the new market.
China Mobile recently completed a procurement bid and decided to buy some of MediaTek chips. BenQ and Inventec Appli@nce have been certified to produce TD-SCDMA handsets in the mainland although they were not bid winners.
HTC, Asustek and Compal Communication, also Taiwanese manufacturers, have announced they will throw their weight behind TD-SCDMA standard. Dopod International, HTC`s strategic partner in the mainland, will develop TD-SCDMA phones running on Windows OS. Asustek has joined TD-SCDMA camp while Compal plans to shoot for outsourcing contracts from big players including Nokia and Motorola.
China Mobile executives pointed out that whether TD-SCDMA service will enter into a full-blown commercial operation will depend on the outcome of the tests. They dismissed reports that the tests were associated with the mainland`s official issuances of 3G licenses.
The tests prompted the expectations that Beijing will likely open its 3G market before August, when the 2008 Olympic Games is unveiled.
(by Ken Liu)