Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Jan. 31, 2007

According to various Chinese media reports, a 4G network is already up and running in Shanghai's Changning District.

A field trial was conducted in October 2006 using a home-grown 4G system powerful enough to provide data transmission speeds of up to 100 Mbps, according to a China Daily newspaper.

Overall, the rollout is said to have cost $19.2 million and is being hailed as a "milestone in the development of China's 4G technologies."

China reportedly began its Beyond 3G/4G research project over six years ago, and aims to put its 4G systems into "trial commercial use" between this year and 2010.

The report further explained that the country's efforts to launch 4G networks involves 10 "domestic institutions" and has snagged upward of 200 patents.

Additionally, China Daily asserted that some of the project's core technologies have been adopted by international standards organizations.

You Xiaohu, principal of the 4G project, told China Daily "the Shanghai system shows that we have entered the final phase of our project. It also testifies that the technology we've developed is feasible and brings us one step closer to put it into commercial use."

The report regarding 4G's arrival on the scene in part of Shanghai has already prompted some to speculate that China may already be planning to skip development of 3G networks in favor of 4G infrastructure.

However, such a scenario seems unlikely since Chinese officials have consistently said that they intend to wow the world with a modern 3G network during the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing.

Though the Chinese have delayed construction of 3G networks by holding off on the issuance of 3G licenses for operators, most industry-watchers expect the Chinese to get 3G networks up and running in time for the Olympics nevertheless.

In December, Wang Xudong, China's minister of Information Industry, said at ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong that 3G licenses would be granted "very soon."

The running theme between China's 3G and 4G networks is the homegrown factor.

China's insistence that its own TD-SCDMA flavor of 3G technology be part of its advanced networks landscape has slowed down the evolution to 3G considerably because of technical problems with TD-SCDMA.

Chinese officials are in fact holding other proven forms of 3G hostage as TD-SCDMA tweaking drags on, not wanting to give European and American-developed technologies a commercial advantage in China.

And according to the China Daily, a similar push of homegrown 4G technology is expected when 4G networks are built in China.

But the clock is ticking, and nobody should assume that the Chinese will falter in their quest to showcase their technological modernity during the Olympic Games and beyond.

However, it's more likely that their moment in the spotlight will begin with 3G technology.

Add to del.icio.us     Digg this

Source: Wireless Week