Wireless Federation

Unicom slashes 3G tariffs to step up competition

On 12.15.10, In Mobile, By Editor

In a bid to attract subscribers, China Unicom has halved the monthly fee that it charges for its 3G service. The operator’s cheapest monthly 3G tariff formerly CNY96 has now been reduced to CNY46 (around US$7).

In an official statement, the operator commented: The new 3G tariff packages greatly reduce the consumption threshold, while adding more minutes of local calls, and more flexible billing.â€

The three largest operators in China are increasingly fighting for the 3G market, with China Mobile and China Telecom competing with Unicom for the country’s 38 million-plus 3G subscribers.

Unicom is currently in second place with 11.6 million subscribers at the end of October 2010, while China Mobile holds the lead with 16.98 million. China Telecom has stated that at the end of September 2010 its 3G subscribers numbered around 9.15 million.

China Mobile holds a massive 70% share of the country’s mobile market, and so its 3G lead is comparatively slim, with only 5 million more 3G subscribers than Unicom. This may result from its use of Chinese-developed TD-SCDMA technology, which lacks the established global install base of the rival technologies WCDMA and EV-DO 3G that are used respectively by Unicom and China Telecom.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • 3G tariff • China • China Mobile • China Telecom • China Unicom • EV-DO • Mobile • TD-SCDMA • WCDMA

TD-SCDMA, China and GSM Lead RF Power Amplifier and Device Markets

On 12.02.10, In Mobile, By Editor

Rapid Chinese TD-SCDMA rollouts and the often-maligned GSM/GPRS/EDGE equipment markets have benefited the base station RF power amplifier and RF power device markets. GSM/GPRS/EDGE RFPAs and devices are still shipping in the millions.

The Asia-Pacific region is presently accounting for more than 50% of the RF power semiconductor devices sold into the mobile wireless infrastructure segment. According to research director Lance Wilson, recent Chinese TD-SCDMA base station deployments have been massive, and have buoyed RF power vendors to a tremendous degree. The demand is expected to strengthen the market until at least sometime in 2011, and the Chinese deployments will probably only start to slow in 2012.

Wilson added that although LTE has not significantly impacted RF power amplifier and device sales in the near term, it is going to bolster RF power sales in the wireless infrastructure space from about 2011 on.

Wilson also notes that since the previous edition of ABI Research’s report on this market, there have been some modest changes in the breakdown of market share held by the leading RF power device vendors.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: China • Device Markets • EDGE • GPRS • GSM • LTE • Mali • Mobile • research director Lance Wilson • RF Power Amplifier • TD-SCDMA

Launch of mobile number portability to benefit China Unicom

On 11.08.10, In Mobile, By Editor

China is to launch a commercial trial of mobile number portability in Tianjin Municipality and Hainan province on November 22, reported China Securities Journal, citing a document released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The MIIT has formally issued the document to the country’s big three operators, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, clearly expressing that the “mobile number portability commercial trial” will be launched on November 22 in the cities of Tianjin and Hainan, which means the eagerly awaited “mobile number portability” has kicked off .

Mobile number portability, which allows people to change carriers without having to change numbers, will encourage China’s 3G users to switch to China Unicom from China Mobile, as the former’s 3G technology is more mature.

According to the document, in Tianjin, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom ‘s 3G users can switch to other carriers without changing numbers, except TD-SCDMA users, but in Hainan, only China Mobile’s 3G users can switch to China Telecom and China Unicom, and th e latter two’s 3G users cannot switch to China Mobile.

China Unicom A-share gained 1.31 percent to close at 5.40 Yuan Friday, largely at market performance.

The benchmark Shanghai composite index rose 1.38 percent to refresh seven-month high closing at 3,129.50 points.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • China • China Mobile • China Telecom • China Unicom • Hainan • MIIT • MNP • Mobile • TD-SCDMA • Tianjin Municipality

China Mobile expresses interest in Apple’s iPad

On 05.14.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After making a super hit sale in the USA market, iPad is ready to take up the rest of the world with big mobile operators eying the new Apple device. The world’s biggest mobile phone operator by subscribers, China Mobile has expressed its desire to sell the iPad and its talks with Apple over the sale of iPhones were still ongoing.

China Mobile has openly disclosed its interest in iPad and it has been in constant talks with Apple over cooperation issues. By having the right to sell iPad, China Mobile wants to provide e-text to Chinese users, as it is developing an electronic book business. Though Apple iPad has not made its official entry in the Asian market yet, a “grey market” trade in the touch screen portable tablet computer has boomed in stores from Singapore to Seoul to Beijing.

The much-anticipated gadget was launched by the California-based firm on the US domestic market last month. It announced that it will be offered for the first time outside the United States on May 28 in nine countries including Japan. It was to satisfy the demand for the iPhone that China’s grey market in Apple products came into existence. The iPhone was officially introduced in the country in October by China Mobile’s rival China Unicom that too more than two years after its US launch.

According to China Mobile chairman Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile, which had 539 million users at of the end of March, still hoped to provide the iPhone to its customers and the key issue at the moment is that it would like the new-generation iPhones to use TD-SCDMA standard. China’s home-grown standard for 3G telecom services, TD-SCDMA, or Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access is a technology that can transmit images and video at high speeds.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • Apple • ASIA • California • China • China Mobile • China Unicom • Division Multiple Access • FTE • grey market • iPad • iPhones • Japan • Launch • Mobile • North Amercia • operator • SEOUL • Singapore • TD-SCDMA • USA

Samsung, NSN conduct first TD-LTE call (China)

On 04.29.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: World’s first TD-LTE data call using a prototype end-user device has been conducted by Samsung and Nokia Siemens Networks and the trial was done Nokia Siemens Networks’ R&D Center in Hangzhou, China. Samsung provided the interoperability between them and the network.

According to Byung-Duck Cho, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics’ R&D Center, as the evolutionary path for China Mobile’s 3G TD-SCDMA networks, as well as an option for other operators around the world who have available unpaired spectrum, TD-LTE is one of the important global standards and the demonstration ensures the cohesive development of our devices for the roll-out of TD-LTE technology at a quicker pace.

Marc Rouanne, head of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Network Systems business unit on the other had opined the trial as an important milestone in building the TD-LTE ecosystem and shows their global commercial readiness for deployments of TD-LTE, expected in the second half of 2010.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • ASIA • CDMA • China • China Mobile • NSN • Samsung • TD-SCDMA

ST-Ericsson TD-SCDMA tech to be used by HTC

On 02.12.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: TD-SCDMA technology in China has been leveraged by HTC for future smartphones. The announcement was made by ¬ST-Ericsson whose TD-SCDMA technology enables HTC to develop key smartphones for the Chinese markets.

ST- Ericsson’s new and existing platforms have been used by the two companies to develop the handset. One of the platforms, M7210 is capable of dual-mode automatic handover between TD-HSPA and EDGE and has been optimized to run multimedia-rich smartphone applications, enabling handset makers’ great flexibility and scalability in product development.

According to Pascal Langlois, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at ST-Ericsson, collaboration with HTC broadens the range of the partnerships with top manufacturers at the forefront of innovation and the company is looking forward to further supporting its efforts in China

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: China • HSPA • HTC • ST Ericsson • TD-HSPA • TD-SCDMA

China’s 3G handset market to gear up by subsidies

On 02.05.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The domestic shipments of 3G handsets in China is expected to boost up in 2010 because of aggressive subsidies from wireless carriers that reduce consumer pricing for cell phones. The shipments may go up to 42.97 million units in 2010, up from 7.2 million in 2009.

According to a research analyst, because of the subsidies, phones using the Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) air standard that is backed by the Chinese government will generate the bulk of growth in 2010. Domestic shipments of TD-SCDMA phones will rise to 20.4 million units in 2010, up from 1.3 million in 2009.

The price of the 3G cell phones becomes more attractive due to these subsidies and is expected to drive up sales despite the lack of value-added data services for the TD-SCDMA air standard.

China Mobile, expected to offer the phones to the public might increase its total subsidies to consumers to RMB30 billion in 2010, up from RMB12 billion in 2009.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • ASIA • CDMA • China • China Mobile • code division multiple access • Division Multiple Access • TD-SCDMA

China Mobile to introduce 4G Network by May 2010

On 01.18.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: By introducing the 4G mobile communications network in China by mid-year, China Mobile will become the first in the world to provide 4G service. The company has planned to launch 4G mobile communications network at the Shanghai Expo held in May and then provide a trial test for users from May to October. The rate of success has still not been revealed.

4th generation system known as TD-LTE (Time Division – Long Term Evolution) will be used in China Mobile’s 4G mobile communication network which is an upgraded version of 3rd generation system known as the TD-SCDMA.

The transmission speed of TD-LTE is 20 times faster than the 3G communication network.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • 4G • ASIA • CDMA • China • China Mobile • Long Term Evolution • Shanghai Expo • TD-LTE • TD-SCDMA

China reaches 120m mobile net users mark in 2009

On 01.18.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After the rolling out of 3G network nationwide by the three carriers, China added 120 million mobile internet users in 2009. 60.8% of the country’s total internet users comprised of 233 million mobile internet customers.

Besides, 30.7 million users in 2009 could access the internet only through mobile phones. The finding came after it was revealed by China Mobile that it wants to reach 50 million TD-SCDMA customers by the end of this year, 12 months earlier than planned.

The company has also preponed the rolling out of its network by end-2010, rather than end-2011. At the end of 2009, China had 10 million 3G customers.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: 3G • ASIA • CDMA • China • China Mobile • TD-SCDMA

China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA users reach 5.5m mark in 2009

On 01.14.10, In Mobile, By Editor

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: China Mobile’s number of TD-SCDMA users reached 5.51 million in 2009. 87,000 TD-SCDMA base stations were deployed by the company, besides rolling out a further 70,000 this year.

266 TD-SCDMA handsets with handset and chip makers were also developed out of which eleven are already available.

Filed under:Mobile Tagged with: ASIA • CDMA • China • China Mobile • TD-SCDMA