China Mobile Urged to Up TD-SCDMA Rollout

China's Ministry of Information and Industry has urged China Mobile to accelerate its work on deployment of TD-SCDMA technology to ensure the 3G mobile service is ready for the Beijing Olympic Games this August, according to a Forbes report that cites China's official Xinhau news agency. The report says China Mobile has been asked to upgrade TD-SCDMA networks, improve TD-SCDMA terminals and expand promotional activity "with a sense of urgency and a sense of responsibility."

China Mobile has been testing TD-SCDMA technology - a homegrown mobile standard that may be used as a commercial 3G technology once national licenses are allocated - during trials in eight cities and will deploy TD-SCDMA networks during the Olympics. TD-SCDMA is a rival 3G technology to globally deployed commercial standards W-CDMA and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. Yesterday, Alcatel-Lucent announced it had won a US$1 billion deal with China Mobile to supply the world's largest mobile operator (by subscribers) with equipment that includes TD-SCDMA technology. Meanwhile, a report this week in the South China Morning Post states that China Mobile is planning a tender for the second phase of its TD-SCDMA network - to be rolled out across the mainland - after the Olympics.

Lisa