- China's MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) recently announced that it approved large-scale TD-LTE (Time Division-Long Term Evolution) technology tests in six major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Xiaman, marking a major step forward towards TD-LTE commercialization, the Sohu News reported. The demonstration networks in these six cities are valued at 1.5 billion RMB (US$227.3 million; US$1 = 6.6 RMB) and have built a total of 3,060 joint base stations, with each city having around 500 base stations, according to the source. China Mobile stated that Poland's telecom operator Aero2 would build the world's first commercial TD-LTE network in 2011 at the earliest. To date, a total of 15 TD-LTE demonstration networks have been deployed around the world and an addition of nine demonstration network will be established some time in 2011, in collaboration with global telecom operators, the China Daily reported, citing chief of the network research department under the China Mobile Research Institute. TD-LTE is projected to begin small-scale commercialization around the second half of 2012, according again to the Sohu News.
- China Telecom and Motorola on January 10 jointly launched a new Smartphone based on Android OS developed by Google, the SinoCast Daily Business Beat News reported on January 11. The new device, dubbed the MOTO DROID X ME811, running on Android 2.2 version OS, is an updated version of MOTO DROID X, with a price tag of 4,880 RMB (US$739.4). China Telecom stated that their subsidiaries across China will provide a wide range of subsidies best suited to a variety of customers in China and will begin large-scale promotions for such device.
- China Unicom, the exclusive distributor for Apple iPhone, recently announced that the company will introduce Apple iPhone 4 based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology into China soon, the SinaCast Daily Business Beat reported on January 13. On January 12, the US leading telecom operator Verizon Communications rolled out CDMA-based iPhone 4, which indicates that this type of device will soon become available for Chinese phone users. China Telecom, another leading Chinese telecom operator, is currently in talks with Apple regarding distribution of iPhones. Should they sign the distribution agreement, China Telecom will introduce and distribute iPhone 5, the next-generation Smartphone, for Apple in China, but so far neither China Telecom nor Apple was available for comments.