China Prepares 4G Mobile Data Specification for ITU

Telecom News Editorials Reports Glossary

8:00 am on October 6, 2007 | Category: Business, Wireless Technology, Cellular, Regulation

China is planning to submit a home-grown fourth-generation (4G) mobile data specification to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in either 2008 or 2009, according to Wen Ku of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry.

The Chinese 4G technology will allow users to surf the web and transmit files much faster than current 3G standards, Ku says, giving it strong potential in the wireless multimedia sector.

China’s failure to deploy 3G mobile broadband technology, however, which stems largely from an ongoing standards dispute between carriers and the Communist government, has raised doubts about the country’s ability to compete globally in the emerging 4G sector.

The search for a dominant 4G standard is set to begin next year, with the ITU begins accepting proposals from countries around the world. The first 4G networks will likely see commercial deployment by around 2010.