China's three leading mobile operators are expected to invest a total of 170 billion yuan (24.87 billion U.S dollars) in construction of third-generation mobile communication networks this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Thursday.

China Mobile, the country's biggest operator is to invest 58.8 billion yuan in building 60,000 new TD-SCDMA base stations covering 238, or 70 percent of, prefecture-level cities by year-end.

The target includes all cities in the more populous eastern regions, according to the carrier's development scheme.

China Telecom is to spend 30 billion yuan on its first phase of investment this year and offer 3G services to 100 major cities by the end of March.

China Unicom will also pump 30 billion yuan in its first phase and provide 3G services for trial commercial use in 55 provincial capital and major cities in the first half and 282 cities by year-end.

The companies gave no details about period of "the first phase", saying it would depend on their actual use of money.

The remaining estimated 50 billion yuan in investment would follow the first phases, but the ministry gave no schedules.

Industrial analysts had estimated on Wednesday the three carriers would invest 150 million yuan in 3G network construction this year.

According to the three carriers' development plans, total investment in 3G networks would reach 400 billion yuan in three years and each expects to have 50 million customers.

The ministry issued the long-awaited 3G licenses on Jan. 7. China Mobile was awarded a license for TD-SCDMA, the domestically-developed 3G standard. China Telecom received a license for the U.S.-developed CDMA2000 and China Unicom was licensed to operate Europe's WCDMA.

The ministry forecasts about 280 billion yuan of direct investment in 3G networks over the next two years.

(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2009)