The Ministry of Information Industry (MII) yesterday issued the technical specifications of two foreign third-generation (3G) standards for mobile communications, a move that could facilitate the introduction of 3G services in the country.

The two standards are Europe-initiated WCDMA and US-backed CDMA 2000.

The ministry's move will provide Chinese operators with two more options besides the home-grown TD-SCDMA standard to build their 3G networks.

In January 2006, the MII issued specifications for TD-SCDMA, adopting it as a 3G technology in China.

Publication of WCDMA and CDMA 2000 specifications came a day before the World Telecommunication Day today, an indication that the Chinese government will stick to its promise of adopting a "technology-neutral" stance when awarding operators 3G licenses.

Publication of technical specifications for 3G standards will boost collaborations between different companies and form a mature industry chain, an MII statement said.

The government started trials of 3G technology - covering all the three standards - in June 2001. Six domestic operators, numerous equipment makers and nearly 10,000 engineers participated in the trials, the MII said.

Officials believe the trials will enable China to avoid hiccups in the early stages of the commercial roll-out of 3G.

3G services did not fare well initially in Europe because of a number of technical reasons such as short battery life of mobile phones and a lack of compelling applications.

(China Daily May 17, 2007)