China hopes Taiwan 3G test will boost homegrown technologies

IDG News Service - China on Wednesday lauded Taiwan's launch of a 3G mobile network using Chinese TD-SCDMA technology as a successful display of how they can work together on technical standards.

Executives and officials from both places on Wednesday concluded a technical standards forum in Taipei where they discussed TD-SCDMA (Time-Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), as well as the creation of standards for LCD screens, LED technology, audio/visual devices, Internet TV, green technologies and more.

TD-SCDMA, developed in China, is one area of technology on which the nation has hoped to work more closely with Taiwan. China and Taiwan have worked more closely in recent years on the joint development of technical standards in the hopes of matching Taiwan's technology prowess with China's huge market. Their goal is to develop technical standards so they don't have to rely on or pay license fees for standards developed in the West, and ultimately to create their own global standards.

The TD-SCDMA trial network in Taiwan will be a good place for local handset makers and network equipment developers to test TD-SCDMA devices, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Wednesday.

Companies from Taiwan and China also gained experience in dual-network compatibility by researching ways to deploy TD-SCDMA technology alongside WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) technology, the Ministry said. Its statement concluded with the hope that China and Taiwan can deepen cooperation in areas such as 3G services, wireless city projects, and TD-LTE (Time Division - Long Term Evolution), a 4G mobile broadband mobile broadband standard promoted by China.

The mutual work on technology standards is also a way to cooperate peacefully. The two split in 1949 amid civil war and China has considered Taiwan a renegade province ever since, with a standing threat to attack if the island formally declares independence. The 2008 election of a more China-friendly president in Taiwan has brought about much warmer relations between the two places.

Taiwanese 3G mobile operator Vibo Telecom launched the TD-SCDMA trial network on Tuesday in Taipei,. It is one of the few companies running a TD-SCDMA trial outside of China. China's Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Lou Qinjian, attended the launch ceremony.

The launch of the network is the result of several trips made by officials and executives from China to Taiwan. In August, for example, the chairman of China Mobile, the world's largest mobile network operator, spent several days in Taipei meeting with companies to promote TD-SCDMA. Taiwanese smartphone developer High Tech Computer (HTC) agreed to launch seven TD-SCDMA smartphones by the end of 2010, it announced during a news conference with China Mobile during the visit.

The head of HTC noted that China Mobile is an important ally due to the size of its customer base. China Mobile had 513.5 million subscribers at the end of October, according to its Web site. The company's goal is to reach 3 million 3G subscribers by the end of this year, up from the 2.3 million it reported last week.