Motorola, the largest foreign investor in the country, is eyeing another huge investment field -- digital trunking -- and has vowed to ensure that the new market takes off in China.
Robert Barnett, Motorola's executive vice-president and president of the Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector (CGISS), said sustained and healthy growth of China's economy calls for the early arrival of the digital trunking era.
As the leading global provider of integrated solutions, he said, Motorola is ready to equip Chinese IT players with its state-of-the-art technologies of TETRA and iDEN for digital trunking.
These technologies are designed for government use of government radio network (GRN) and commercial use of public access mobile radio (PAMR).
Barnett said China has become the world's largest mobile communications market.
Although trunking radio solutions have not scored as much as public radio networks, he said, a significant market potential exists in the world's most populous country, especially for digital trunking known for efficient use of frequency, high volume, excellent voice quality and voice and data transmission.
By integrating separate systems used by public security, fire, emergency and other departments, a GRN places all government communications on a single platform and a single system, Barnett said.
China's rapid economic growth and fast urbanization have posted unprecedented challenges to governments at all levels, particularly urban authorities facing an increasingly self-conscious populace.
In many parts of the world, GRN has proven to be a good helping hand for city managers, Barnett said. It enables them to embark on an e-government "fast track," significantly improve work efficiency and better serve the public.
As China catches up to developed economies, "GRN is surely to have a bright future in the country," Barnett said.
Barnett also said PAMR will have its day in the vast land.
As China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) intensifies competition in all sectors nationwide, more and more businesses will increasingly find it essential to have a work-group communication system that is reliable, cost effective and efficient, Barnett said. PAMR is the way to go for many of those enterprises, he said.
Motorola's TETRA and iDEN solutions provide the two best choices for China's GRN and PAMR solutions, Barnett said.
Motorola has been the leader in digital trunking technology. It leads the field with 41 TETRA contracts in more than 22 countries. Its iDEN, an ideal solution for the PAMR market, has more than 11 million users worldwide.
As China's largest foreign investor, Motorola officials say they believe that any sustained cooperation must abide by the "win-win" principle: close cooperation with Chinese partners and localization of technologies and applications.
In the digital trunking aspect, Motorola has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Information Industry to share its technology with Chinese partners and localize TETRA and iDEN applications to address China's unique digital needs.
(China Daily May 08, 2002)
