China Mobile Orders 3G Network Kit

China Mobile Communications, the parent company of the listed China Mobile is understood to have issued a tender worth as much as US$3.1 billion to build a 3G network based on the homegrown TD-SCDMA technology.

"China Mobile started preliminary talks with the equipment makers about two weeks ago. Now they are officially issuing the bidding document. The total amount of China Mobile's system equipment contracts is approximately RMB 20 billion ($2.58 billion)," Chen Haofei, Secretary-General of TD-SCDMA Forum told the Interfax news agency.

China Mobile will invest an additional RMB 4 billion ($516.8 million) to purchase mobile handsets, after the TD-SCDMA networks are completed "hopefully in October," he said.

The network will cover eight cities in China, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Qinghuangdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiamen.

"China Mobile will set up 8,000 to 9,000 base stations. Beijing and Shanghai will have two core networks each, while the other cities will have one core network each," Chen said.

In addition to this China Mobile contract, China Telecom is expected to continue its trials in Baoding, and China Netcom will continue trials in Qingdao"

Posted to the site on 20th March 2007