- China Mobile recently revealed the results of its three to four million entry-level to mid-range CMMB (China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting)-enabled TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) phone purchase tender floated at the beginning of June this year, the Sohu News reported on July 8. Through the tender, China Mobile will purchase six mobile phone models in a batch of 500,000 to 60,000 units each. The tender winners include Chinese telecom equipment suppliers Lenovo, ZTE, and Huawei, which will equally share the manufacturing orders; chipmakers include Spreadtrum and Leadcore, which will provide two models each and MediaTek, which will provide one model jointly developed with China Mobile, according to the same source. China Mobile's CMMB-enabled TD-SCDMA Smartphones are slated to hit the market in the third quarter of 2011.
It is learnt that international mobile phone suppliers and chipmakers were not invited to participate in the tender mainly due to the fact that those Smartphone purchased are aimed at the entry-level and mid-range TD-SCDMA market in China. In addition, China Mobile's relatively low unit price also failed to attract the interest of those international players.
Meanwhile, in related news it is claimed that the number of TD-LTE (TD-Long Term Evolution) telecom operators worldwide totaled to 12 thus far, the Yahoo Tech News reported on July 7. Of the total 12 telecom operators, the combined subscriber base of three telecom operators - comprising China Mobile, India's Bharti, and Japan's Softbank - have covered around 39% of the worldwide population. China Mobile is slated to officially launch its TD-LTE commercialization plan in 2013 and is projected to commercially release a TD-LTE Smartphone at the beginning of 2013, according to the same source. The three recently-joined TD-LTE alliance members are Taiwanese telecom operators Far Eastone, Taiwanese WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) telecom operator Global Mobile, and Middle East's telecom operator Omantel.
In spite of the aggressive stance of telecom operators worldwide towards the TD-LTE commercialization, it is projected that TD-LTE mobile phones will not be available in the marketplace until 2012 as TD-LTE mobile phone chipsets are currently still under manufacturing and testing. Thus far in 2011, China Mobile focuses mainly on the launch of TD-LTE data card for use in some end-market terminals, according to Sina Tech News reported on July 6.
- China Telecom and Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Tianyu Communications recently announced that both parties jointly launched a CDMA2000 Smartphone featuring a 4.3-inch screen and 1GHz CPU (Central Processing Unit) with a price tag of 1,980 RMB (US$ 304.6; US$1 = 6.5 RMB), the Sina News reported on July 7