China Telecom front-runner in 3G race?
China's recent decision to move forward with third-generation wireless licensing might have been prompted by successful trials of homegrown technology.
Foreign telecom companies have been poised to jump into the booming Chinese market; however, The Australian reported Friday that China Telecom might have the inside track.
The newspaper said industry insiders were closely watching testing in Shanghai of Telecom's TD-SCDMA 3G standard and expecting it to lead to licensing a rapid expansion.
"They started with Shanghai and are also drawing up plans for other cities," said a source. "The trial networks will be progressively expanded to a pretty big scale."
Telecom and the rest of China's major telecom players are expected to go straight to the TD-SCDMA standard. Chinese companies hold the main patents for the technology.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
