According to a November 2 AFX news report, which cited a local Chinese newspaper, a China Unicom vice president, Lu Yongren, recently stated that the company expects 3G licenses in China to be issued at the end of 2006. Lu claimed he based this expectation on the fact that a government official told him 3G services will be launched in 2008, thus inferring that licenses will be handed out at the end of next year. It marked one of the first times a high-ranking official of a Chinese operator has made a statement on the timetable for 3G licenses and services in the country. China Unicom expects its investment for 3G infrastructure to reach 60 to 100 billion RMB.