China approves TD-SCDMA standard

By Joni Morse
Jan 20, 2006
BEIJING-The Chinese government has given its homegrown TD-SCDMA technology a thumbs up, calling it an officially backed standard, the Xinhua news agency said.
China's Ministry of Information Industry official said the technology is "already mature and ready for manufacturers to move ahead with production," said the news agency.

Industry analysts have said that China was stalling the issuance of 3G licenses so that TD-SCDMA could mature, but pressure has been building for China to make a move since the government has made no secret of its plans to wow the world with its 3G network during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Now that the government feels TD-SCDMA is ready for prime time, licensing is expected to begin swiftly, and Chinese companies are surely swooning with delight as their balance sheets are about to reap the benefits of their government's handling of the technology battle over China's 3G buildout.
Developed by Datang Mobile and other Chinese equipment vendors, TD-SCDMA is expected to protect Chinese firms from royalty payments to the likes of Qualcomm Inc. and others. Qualcomm holds most of the essential patents to CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology as well as patents covering W-CDMA. With more than 400 million wireless subscribers already, China's market is expected to grow 65 percent by the end of 2010, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.