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China sets final scheme for TD-SCDMA test
by Xinhua
Updated: 2006-03-13 09:24 China has finally devised its schedule for trials
of its homegrown third generation (3G) mobile communication standard TD-SCDMA,
according to a source close to the Ministry of Information Industry.
The
trials will be carried out in the northern city of Baoding, the eastern city of
Qingdao and the southern city of Xiamen by China Telecom, China Netcom and China
Mobile respectively.
Three major companies in the TD-SCDMA camp will
provide equipment for the test.
Datang Mobile and TD-Tech, a joint-venture
by Siemens and Huawei, will build the trial network with China Telecom in
Baoding, a city in Hebei Province near Beijing.
Products of ZTE and
TD-Tech will be used for network construction in Xiamen, a coastal city in
Fujian Province, with China Mobile. Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province is
also selected as the site for the trial as some water sports programs will be
held there during the 2008 Olympics. Datang Mobile and ZTE will help China
Netcom in the network construction there.
After three rounds of tests,
China's TD-SCDMA is at the last stage before real commercial use. The result of
trials this time is expected to partly decide when and to whom China issues its
first 3G license.
Compared with the other two international 3G standards
WCDMA and CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA has the disadvantage of being a late comer. Though
the technology proves to be quite competitive against the other two standards,
lack of industrialization experience has cast doubts over it. Chinese telecom
operators were reported to be reluctant to use TD-SCDMA.
China Unicom
will adopt CDMA2000 as it already has a CDMA network. Other operators favor
WCDMA and they even built trial networks based on WCDMA in a dozen cities
nationwide without permission from the government.
Last February, the
National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Information
Industry asked the companies concerned to remove the WCDMA networks.
As the
government's attitude towards 3G becomes clearer, it is widely believed within
the industry that China will issue a TD-SCDMA license ahead of the other two
standards and give favorable policies to operators using the
technology.
Active participation of the three telecom operators in this
round of trials shows that they may like to support a home-grown standard, said
an analyst.
China may be able to start the trial in March as scheduled
and then could be in a position to issue the first 3G license in the middle of
the year, according to the analyst.
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