China’s TD-SCDMA and IP over SDH have been affirmed by the International Telecommunication Union as the standard for third generation (3G) communication technology,  Vice Minister of Information Industry Lou Qinjian said at the Ninth Telecom New Technology Seminar held in Beijing on September 2. China now has over 100 tech patents in the field.

Current Internet technology utilizes IPV4 and the technologies of 3G Internet refer to IPV6 which will settle a current problem with Internet addresses. Although when exactly IPV6 will be introduced is not confirmed, it is sure that the technology patents will benefit the industry's development in the future.

Companies owing core technologies can earn huge profits. Cui Boxiong, vice director of the electrical invention inspection department under the State Intellectual Property Office, said days ago that most telecom patents were grasped by America, Japan, and European countries and South Korea.

Core technologies of CDMA belong to the American Qualcomm Company, and several European large enterprises monopolize the core technologies of GSM. China, having no core technologies, has to pay expensive patent fees during the construction of first and second generation mobile networks.    

Lou said that in the early 1980s, the Chinese telecom industry had a very large gap compared to overseas telecoms. These years, the sector is busy with following and absorbing foreign advanced technologies and has made rapid improvements. Lou added the ministry will provide policy support for innovations of telecom technologies.

(China.org.cn by Feng Yikun, September 7, 2003)