Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

[Mindy]

China agrees to take neutral position on 3G standards at China-U.S. JCCT

22.04.2004 10:55:00 GMT

http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Chin&pg=0&id=5715473&req=

Shanghai. (Interfax-China) - The recently completed China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) has had fruitful results on information industry issues. According to a trade facts document received by Interfax, released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, China has agreed to support technology neutrality with respect to the upcoming adoption of third generation (3G) communication standards for the country.

Currently China is examining three potential 3G technologies -WCDMA, CDMA 2000 and TD-SCDMA, the latter being a home-grown Chinese technology.

At the JCCT, China agrees that Chinese telecom service providers will be allowed to make their own choices as to which standard they adopt, depending on their individual needs. In addition, Chinese regulators will not be involved in negotiating royalty payment terms with relevant intellectual property rights holders.

So far, China has not disclosed the details of these talks either through its government sources or local press.

China's Ministry of Information Industry is now holding the second phase field test on the three 3G standards, the WCDMA, the CDMA2000 and China's homegrown TD-SCDMA standard. All of China's 6 basic telecom operators have been required to participate in TD-SCDMA field tests. China Mobile, China Netcom, and China Railcom, however, will not participate in CDMA 2000 testing, while China Satellite Communications (ChinaSat) will not participate in WCDMA testing.

SECOND PHASE 3G TEST ARRANGEMENTS

3G standards
Mobile operators
Test locations
Start time

WCDMA
China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, China Railcom, China Netcom
Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai
End of March

CDMA 2000
China Unicom, China Telecom and ChinaSat
Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai
End of April

TD-SCDMA
China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, China Railcom, China Netcom, ChinaSat
Beijing, Shanghai, (Chongqing, Chengdu likely)
May


Source: Interfax database

Established in 1983, the China-U.S. JCCT is a government-to-government consultative mechanism that provides a forum to resolve trade concerns and promote bilateral commercial opportunities. Previously led by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the Chinese Commerce Minister, the status of the JCCT was elevated following the December 2003 meeting of President Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to focus higher-level attention on outstanding trade disputes. This year's JCCT was chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and Commerce Secretary Don Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.