- Datang Telecom has forged a strategic alliance with the Shanghai municipal government as part of its efforts to promote China's homegrown TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) technology, the Xinhua News reported on February 5. Under the agreement, both parties will jointly focus on R&D and production of TD-SCDMA chips in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, China Mobile has been granted TD-SCDMA mobile phone numbers starting with 147-prefix by China's MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), Sohu News reported on February 6. To date, aside from 147-prefix phone numbers, China Mobile has acquired mobile phone numbers starting with 157-, 159-, 187-, and 188-prefix, of which 157- and 188-prefixed mobile phone numbers are for TD-SCDMA. China Telecom owns CDMA mobile phone numbers starting with 153-, 180-, and 189 prefix, and China Unicom with 156-, 185-, and 186 prefix for WCDMA mobile phones, according to the same source.

- Within the next three years, China Telecom plans to invest 80 billion RMB (US$11.7 billion; US$1 = 6.84 RMB) into CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network expansion and optimization, boosting the subscriber base from the current 28 million to 100 million, Sohu News reported on February 5. Additionally, the company is set to launch CDMA2000 services in 324 cities in the first half of 2009, up from 100 cities by late March 2009.

Recently, China Telecom has begun inviting bids for 3G data card procurement bids, luring more than 80 terminals from 40 companies to participate in the bids, including Huawei and ZTE, according to Sohu News again. At the same time, the company reportedly will purchase approximately 55 million CDMA mobile phones in 2009.

- In the wake of its announcement to roll out WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) services in China's 55 cities in the first half of 2009, China Unicom is set to kick off it WCDMA service commercially on May 17, 2009, initially in seven major cities in China, according to Xinhua News. Seven cities include Shanghai, Shenzhen, Foshan, Liuzhou, Zhengzhou, Baoding, and Wuxi, each of which currently has around 100 WCDAM base stations.

Meanwhile, the invitation of China Unicom's first-phase WCDMA network equipment bids concluded on January 22, 2009. Winners reportedly include NokiaSiemens, Huawei, ZTE, Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Ericsson, and New Postcom. Additionally, China Unicom will first release 14.3 million mobile phone numbers starting with 186-prefix and 300,000 mobile phone numbers with 156-prefix, according to the same source. Subscribers with mobile phone numbers starting with 130-, 131-, 132, 156-prefix can directly upgrade to 3G without changing their existing phone numbers.