China Mobile's Beijing branch jumps on 4G technology wave

"The planned 4G commercial rollout is very good news for China Mobile, as well as for smartphone companies and mobile Internet companies," said Wang Jun, an analyst with Beijing-based research firm Analysys International.

China Mobile's net profit dropped 9 percent in the third quarter partly due to the increasing challenges posed by mobile Internet applications such as Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat.

"The 4G business can help the carrier to attract more high-end users from rivals," Wang said.

Apple Inc has also said that its latest iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C handsets may support TD-LTE technology.

James Yan, an analyst with IDC China, pointed out that the timing for launching 4G services in China is right.

"The environment could not be better. Customers favor smartphones, carriers have the motivation to do 4G services, and distributors know how to sell 4G products to people," Yan said.

The launch of 4G services in China will definitely be a new driver for the growth of the nation's smartphone market, he added.

"4G will be an important factor to make people buy new phones," Yan said.

Ryan Reith, program director at IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, said that China has become one of the fastest-growing smartphone markets in the world, accounting for more than one-third of total shipments in the third quarter of the year.