Source: CCTV.com

04-30-2009 11:13

In this edition, we examine an industry that's faltering abroad, but may be on an upswing again here in China--that's the telecom industry.

The country's industry supervisor issued the third-generation or 3G mobile phone licenses to three mobile operators at the beginning of the year. The long-awaited move is expected to draw billions of yuan in infrastructure investments, among other things. As the global downturn continues to take its toll on China's economy, many people are eyeing 3G mobile communication as the next growth opportunity.

The country's industry supervisor issued the third-generation  or 3G mobile phone licenses to three mobile operators at the  beginning of the year.

In the first of a five part series, Guan Xin explains why the timing is so critical, what some of the opportunities are, and the challenges ahead.

In the next installment, we look at the three telecom license holders, their timetables and latest developments, and how the competition is heating up. Join us again tomorrow at this time.

It’s been a long time coming. But after a decade since it first surfaced abroad, 3G mobile communication is finally lifting off, in China. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 3G licenses in January to China’s three telecom operators. China Mobile, the largest, was awarded the homegrown TD-SCDMA 3G standard. The other two carriers, China Telecom and China Unicom, received licenses for the US-developed CDMA2000, and Europe’s WCDMA respectively.