China's home-grown standard for third-generation mobile phones (3G) would be ready for commercial use as scheduled and the technology is able to support multimedia services, said sources close to the technology Thursday.

Reports had said China's test on its TD-SCDMA standard scheduled to end by June 30 would be delayed for one or two weeks due to technology immaturity and phones equipped with the standard could only be used to make phone calls or send text messages.

"The network test on TD-SCDMA is going on smoothly and the technology goals are being realized step by step as scheduled," said Yang Hua, secretary-general of TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance.

Six major 3G system equipment providers including Datang Mobile, TD Tech, ZTE, Putian, ASB and Nortel, have developed four sets of system equipment and participated the network test.

"These products have realized the expected functions and performed quite well in the test," said Yang.

The system equipment on TD-SCDMA standard are ready for commercialization, Yang said.

The test shows that chips on TD-SCDMA standard could support digital service at the speed of 384 kb per second which allows video phone calls and downloading video clips, said Yang.

China would be able to produce chips ready for commercial use in the third quarter and terminals would be ready for commercial use by the end of this year, Yang said.

Handsets equipped with TD-SCDMA standard would be produced in large scale early next year, he said.

China, which has the world's biggest mobile phone market with 358 million users, has been pushing for development of its 3G standard.

TD-SCDMA is one of the three international 3G standards with China owning its intellectual property rights. China has finished two tests on 3G before. The third round of test on TD-SCDMA alone was launched in last December.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2005)