China to launch 4G mobile network

China may soon launch a domestically developed "fourth generation" mobile phone system in its commercial market.

The homegrown candidate for the 4G standard, known as TD-LTE, is being tested in seven cities and will go into commercial use "when the technology is mature", said China Mobile chairman Wang Jianzhou.

China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone operator with 589.3 million subscribers, has developed a Chinese 3G standard called TD-SCDMA. It has been working on a variation it hopes will become a 4G standard, which provides faster broadband wireless services.

The UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) accepted TD-LTE in October as a candidate to be designated 4G and is watching the tests by China Mobile and its partners to see if it meets 4G transmission standards.

China Mobile said late last year that a number of Chinese and foreign telecom equipment makers would participate in the tests of its 4G candidate, including China's ZTE Corp, Huawei Technologies, Finnish-German Nokia Siemens and Swedish group Ericsson.

Wang also said that Japanese tech conglomerate Softbank is planning to deploy the first commercial TD-LTE network in Japan by the end of the year.

China Mobile and Xinhua launch Internet Search Engine

China Mobile Ltd, the world's biggest mobile operator, and state-run Xinhua News Agency have jointly launched an Internet search engine.

The search engine, http://www.panguso.com/ , would be operated by a joint venture company set up by the two, and would also be available for mobile users, they said in a statement carried by Xinhua.

With more than 450 million users, China is the world's largest Internet market.

Its search market grew 67 percent in the fourth quarter to 3.2 billion yuan ($486.8 million), with Baidu Inc holding a dominant 73 percent of the market by revenue compared with Google Inc's 24 percent, according to data from iResearch.

China asks for ID to buy Mobile Phone Number

China wants people who buy new cell phone numbers to register their personal details, joining many European and Asian countries in curbing the anonymous use of mobile technology.

Most countries that have such rules say they prevent the use of unregistered phones in terror attacks or drug crimes. In China, authorities say they have their sights on rampant junk messages - but some believe the government will use the new tool for monitoring its citizens.

The regulation was “the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones”. The rules that started Wednesday apply to everyone, including foreigners on short visits.

Similar rules have been implemented in several Asian, European and Latin American countries, often after phones were used to detonate bombs, organize terrorist attacks or conduct criminal activities. Federal legislation has been introduced in the United States, where prepaid phones have long been used by drug dealers. In many places, however, the rules are easily skirted with fake IDs or false names.

But human rights advocates say China might be looking for a way to track people who spontaneously join protests. Users could previously buy low-cost mobile phone SIM cards anonymously with cash at convenience stores and newspaper stands and use them right away.

China censors Internet content it deems politically sensitive and blocks many websites, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Following ethnic riots in far western China's Xinjiang region, international phone service and the Internet in the region were suspended for months.

The new regulation probably won't impact Chinese dissidents, many of whom already have their phones closely monitored, but it could help police track down ordinary people who take part in protests, Wang said. China has seen a growing number of protests sparked by labor disagreements, anger over pollution or other issues.

The ID requirement is also raising new privacy concerns and will likely upset some customers unwilling to give personal information to vendors and telecom operators for fear it will be resold, said Duncan Clark, managing director of BDA China Ltd, a technology market research firm.

China has more than 800 million mobile phone numbers already in use. According to a report by The Global Times, ‘about 320 million of mobile phone numbers were purchased without real-name registration. They will have to be reregistered by 2013 or could be suspended’.

China Unicom, one of the country's three major state-owned phone carriers, issued a notice on its website on Aug. 20 saying that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had informed them that real-name registration would be required for all new telephone number purchases starting Sept. 1.

China Mobile, the world's biggest phone carrier by subscribers - was also complying with the directive.

Sony Ericsson to launch smartphone for China Mobile

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has announced that it would introduce its first smartphone for the Chinese market that runs on the network of China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile carrier.

Sony Ericsson, owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp, said it had developed the A8i with China Mobile to operate on its TD-SCDMA network.

"China is a hugely important market for Sony Ericsson and we are committed to maintaining our strong position and driving growth by continually introducing new and exciting products into this market," Sony Ericsson Chief Executive Berg Nordberg said. Smartphones have been garnering a bigger share of the handset market as users look for functions like gaming and video on their mobiles.

Sony Ericsson's strategy is to grab a bigger slice of the higher-priced smartphone market to boost profitability.

China Mobile and HTC to work together

China Mobile and Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC Corp have agreed to work together to develop products for the mainland's third generation mobile network.

They signed a memorandum of understanding in Taiwan to kick off the partnership, focusing on product and technology development.

"Together, we look forward to expanding the TD-SCDMA industry chain and spurring development of the cross-strait telecommunications sector. We look for this partnership to become a model of cooperation," China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou said.

TD-SCDMA is the first international technology standard in China's telecommunication industry, employing Chinese-developed intellectual property rights.

"Going forward, HTC will actively develop intelligent advanced wireless broadband products based on the TD-SCDMA standard, and will work closely with China Mobile to design and make products tailored to the needs of the China market," said HTC chief executive officer Peter Chou.
China Mobile, one of the leading telecommunication service providers on the mainland, and HTC said they will also conduct research into mainland consumer trends as part of product development.

China Mobile to produce 3G mobile phones

World's largest mobile carrier, China Mobile is in talks with Taiwan's three major mobile phone network operators to cooperate on roaming services.

Chairman of China Mobile, Wang Jianzhou said talks had been held with Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications about potential cooperative arrangements.

Wang Jianzhou added the firm also hopes to cooperate with Taiwan phone makers to develop mobile devices.

Deputy general manager of China Mobile, Zhang Chunjiang said the company's volume of calls has declined since the last quarter of 2008 due to the financial crisis.

Zhang Chunjiang said China Mobile will work with foreign companies including Nokia to produce third generation (3G) mobile phones. The company plans to spend 58.8 billion yuan ($8.6 billion) this year on its 3G network, which will cover about 300 Chinese cities by the end of 2009.