The Chinese Government reiterated yesterday that it will go all out for the development of homegrown third generation (3G) wireless communication standard TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access).

The message was sent out yesterday at the 2005 TD-SCDMA International Summit in Beijing.

"TD-SCDMA is accelerating its development and we are happy to see a wide range of international co-operation in that area," said Xu Guanhua, minister of science and technology, at the summit yesterday.

The two-day event is showcasing the latest developments in the 3G standard, proving the technology is ready for the market.

"We will continue to support TD-SCDMA and encourage more and more firms from home and abroad to join the development of the technology," Xu added.

His remarks were echoed by Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice-director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Wang Yong, vice-director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

"We have full confidence in the business prospects of TD-SCDMA and will support the commercialization of the standard," Zhang said.

He believed 3G-related technologies and network equipment throughout the world are becoming stable, however, a rewardable business model for telecom operators has yet to be hammered out to drive the development of 3G worldwide.

TD-SCDMA is regarded as the most advanced solution for mobile operators with its unpaired frequency bands.

The standard has become increasingly desirable since the Chinese Government hinted strongly in January that it was likely to release 3G licences this year.

According to the Ministry of Information Industry's (MII) 3G testing schedule, all 3G-related testing will be concluded by the end of June.

As a new standard without real operational experience, TD-SCDMA technology lags other 3G standards - European-based WCDMA (Wideband CDMA) and US Qualcomm-based CDMA2000.

"This year will be a key year for TD-SCDMA," said MII Vice-Minister Lou Qinjian.

He said 3G was an inevitable trend for wireless telecommunications and also a great opportunity for China to strengthen its telecom industry.

Attracted by the huge market potential in China, many domestic and overseas telecom operators, equipment providers and handset makers have been drawn to the homegrown 3G standard.

"It could be an opportunity for France Telecom," Guillaume Decarreau, head of Wireless System Lab of France Telecom's Research & Development (Beijing), told China Daily yesterday.

"We will keep watching and evaluating the technology," he added.

France Telecom established a research and development centre in Beijing last year.

Also yesterday, Alcatel Shanghai Bell and Datang Mobile jointly demonstrated a live end-to-end TD-SCDMA solution during the 3G event.

The end-to-end TD-SCDMA solution integrated Alcatel Shanghai Bell's core network solution, a 3G service delivery platform, Datang Mobile's radio access solution and terminals.

(China Daily April 27, 2005)