China approved TD-SCDMA

China approved TD-SCDMA

China' s MII approved the TD-SCDMA standard, clearing the way for 3G wireless service in the market. It is believed that a TD-SCDMA license first will be issued to China, then other 3G licenses could come several months later. With TD-SCDMA, China is gaining control over its infrastructure, minimize its reliance on foreign technology (and avoid royalties) and enter the closed club of few telecom technology-driven countries (US, Europe and Japan). MII wants a “competent” operator to run a standalone national network. Four main Chinese carriers are in the race: Telecom, Netcom, Mobile and Unicom, among others. On the vendor side, local manufacturers (Huawei, ZTE and Datang) are on the first line, but Western vendors are also positioning with deals with local vendors.