A Chinese home-grown standard for 3G (third generation) mobile communications has gained increasing momentum in recent weeks, a development that could pave the way for the eventual commercial deployment of the locally-developed telephony system.

 

Alcatel Shanghai Bell (ASB) and China's Datang Mobile have announced they plan to establish a joint laboratory to "provide a real network environment."

 

This will help test the ability to use 3G TD-SCDMA applications together with GSM (global systems for mobile communications), a 2G telephony system.

 

The hope is that this will increase the chances of commercially using TD-SCDMA, which is catching up with the European-initiated 3G platform WCDMA (wideband CDMA) standard and the US-backed CDMA 2000.

 

Unlike WCDMA and CDMA 2000, which have already been commercially launched by operators across the world, TD-SCDMA is still being developed and has never been used in a commercial network.

 

But the latest test marks a major step in the commercialization of TD-SCDMA as in the initial roll-out of 3G services they are expected to co-exist with 2G telephony platforms for some time.

 

GSM is the most popular 2G telephony system globally. In China, the number of GSM users accounts for about 90 percent of total mobile phone users.

 

Gerard Dega, president of ASB, expected the laboratory, which will be operational by the end of this month, to give a major boost to the commercial deployment of TD-SCDMA.

 

"We will continue our efforts to strongly support China's 3G development by providing our rich expertise and services," Dega said.

 

Also last week, Finland's Nokia and local manufacturer Potevio, formerly known as China Putian, announced they had successfully completed a test that linked the TD-SCDMA and WCDMA networks.

 

The successful test underlines the maturity of TD-SCDMA network products, said Tao Xiongqiang, senior vice-president of Potevio Co Ltd.

 

If TD-SCDMA cannot be used with other technologies, it would be less likely to become a mainstream 3G technology, said Bill Zhao, an analyst with Beijing-based research house Analysys International.

 

The government has yet to award operators with 3G licences in China as it hopes to give TD-SCDMA more time to mature.

 

Jacky Yang, an analyst with Norson Telecom Consulting, said a lack of mature mobile phones supporting the TD-SCDMA platform remains a major problem for the Chinese standard, despite rapid progress in the development of TD-SCDMA network products and solutions.

 

However, Mark Evans, executive vice-president of Japan's Anritsu, a provider of communications testing instruments, said this problem had now been eased.

 

Anritsu has provided testing devices for TD-SCDMA mobile phones and has made some major breakthroughs in partnership with Spreadtrum Communications.

 

Shanghai-based Spreadtrum is a major chip maker for TD-SCDMA handsets.

 

Evans said Anritsu will increase investment in research and development of new testing technologies related to 3G telephony, including TD-SCDMA.

 

A lack of advanced testing instruments has long been impeding the development of TD-SCDMA mobile phones, resulting in problems such as lengthy test times and high costs.

 

(China Daily March 22, 2006)