In Brief: China wireless standard trial to end in Q3

Trials of China's TD-SCDMA 3G wireless standard will wrap up in the third quarter, it was reported Friday.

The success of the standard is being closely watched by the telecom industry since it is being developed in China for use in one of the world's most robust wireless phone markets. The trials will likely be the final shakedown for TD-SCDMA before the government begins issuing licenses for third-generation wireless service.

"These are the final preparations for commercial operation," Yang Hua, secretary-general of the TD-SCDMA Industrial Alliance, said in a news release Friday. "Previous trials have greatly accelerated the development of the whole industry."

China Daily said some industry analysts believe the only weakness in the case for TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a lack of manufacturing capacity for handsets; however, the number of manufacturers has increased from a dozen last year to 20.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International