Tired of foreign domination of its telecom market share China...

China Mobile partly finishes TD network 2nd phase construction

China Mobile (0941.HK; CHL.NYSE) has finished the TD network construction in some of the second batch of cities, which may start publishing 3G mobile phone numbers ahead of schedule in May, according to the Xinhua-run Shanghai Securities News.

Most of the 28 cities covered by the 2nd phase project have finished the overall network construction, and detailed establishment tasks such as service platforms, supporting networks, and core network reconstructions, except for the TD base stations.

Wuhan and Zhengzhou are estimated to publish 3G mobile phone numbers before their peers, thanks to the early start of the projects, and the efficient work of equipment suppliers such as ZTE, Putian, and Huawei.



Eight players bidding for China Mobile TD-SCDMA project

Biddings for China Mobile's 8.6 billion yuan (US$1.26 billion) third-phase TD-SCDMA procurement project will start in mid-May, with six China players and two international players including Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks bidding against each other, according to market sources.

According to China Mobile's roadmap, the carrier plans to set up TD-SCDMA networks in 200 cities in China before the end of this year compared to the current deployment of such mobile networks in 38 cities. The third-phase procurement project calls for the purchase a total of 39,000 TD-SCDMA base stations.

Since the domestic players in China had grabbed over 80% of China Mobile's TD-SCDMA equipment orders released in the two previous procurement projects, the six China players – ZTE, Huawei Technologies, Datang Telecom Technology, China Putian Information Technology, FiberHome Technologies and New Postcom Equipment – are also expected to land the majority of TD-SCDMA orders this time, according to market sources in China and Taiwan.

Huawei to enter white-box handset market, says paper

Updated:2009/4/28 16:07


China-based telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies plans to cut into the supply chain of white-box handsets with its own-developed HiSilicon K3 chips,according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

Huawei's subsidiary HiSilicon Technologies has been developing the HiSilicon K3 chips since 2006. The chips are priced at US$40-60 each, integrate multimedia and telephone functions, and are expected to compete with leading white-box handset chip supplier MediaTek, added the report.

crobato said:

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Huawei to enter white-box handset market, says paper

Updated:2009/4/28 16:07


China-based telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies plans to cut into the supply chain of white-box handsets with its own-developed HiSilicon K3 chips,according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

Huawei's subsidiary HiSilicon Technologies has been developing the HiSilicon K3 chips since 2006. The chips are priced at US$40-60 each, integrate multimedia and telephone functions, and are expected to compete with leading white-box handset chip supplier MediaTek, added the report.

Click to expand...

Since the significance of this is missed to some, it means the chipset is going to end up both in legitimate and fake branded Chinese made cellphones, taking the business away from Taiwan supplier MTK.

Even the fake phones are running some pretty high tech chipset turnkey solutions.



According to Digitimes, the current Chinese handset market share appears to break down as:

31.9% Nokia
17.8% Samsung
6.4% Motorola
6+ % Beijing Tianyu (K-Touch)
4.3% ZTE
3.8% LGE
3.2% Huawei

The balance goes to the rest such as Lenovo and the copycat phone makers. From the way market share goes, over 50% is foreign branding, although many of these phones are specifically designed and sold only for the Chinese market like the Motorola Ming series.

One irony comes up that ZTE and Huawei are making a lot of sales over the CDMA networks of one of the Chinese carriers.

TD-SCDMA in Taiwan?



China Mobile chairman likely to visit Taiwan in August

China Mobile chairman Wang Jiangzhou is likely to visit Taiwan in August with plans to meet executives of Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) and MediaTek, according to industry sources. China Mobile has a pool of 500 million subscribers and is an operator of TD-SCDMA 3G networks in China.

Wang's visit to Taiwan could have profound implications as the Taiwan government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is planning to set up an experimental TD-SCDMA network in Taiwan in order to help Taiwan network equipment makers develop TD-SCDMA-enabled CPE products for the China market.

Meanwhile, China Mobile is also waiting for the Taiwan government to ease its investment regulations so that the carrier can invest in FET through private placement, the sources noted.

FET, one of the three largest operators of mobile communication service in Taiwan, in April 2009 signed with China Mobile for a strategic alliance, and the China carrier also agreed to take a 12% stake in its Taiwan partner.

But the Taiwan government has reiterated that no China investment is allowed in Taiwan's telecom carriers.

This is what happens when you turn your country into a virtual tech Galapagos Island.



Why Japan’s Cellphones Haven’t Gone Global

"TOKYO — At first glance, Japanese cellphones are a gadget lover’s dream: ready for Internet and e-mail, they double as credit cards, boarding passes and even body-fat calculators.

But it is hard to find anyone in Chicago or London using a Japanese phone like a Panasonic, a Sharp or an NEC. Despite years of dabbling in overseas markets, Japan’s handset makers have little presence beyond the country’s shores...."

Read the link to continue.

Look at this baby by China Mobile. 7"!!!



It appears to be a 7" internet tablet still capable of making calls that runs China Mobile's variant of Android called OMS or OPhone. The connection should be TD-SCDMA.

Look at this baby by China Mobile. 7"!!!



It appears to be a 7" internet tablet still capable of making calls that runs China Mobile's variant of Android called OMS or OPhone. The connection should be TD-SCDMA.

Android taking over China now.



HTC to Launch Click, Two Other Android Handsets in China
Owen Fletcher, IDG News Service

The China subsidiary of High Tech Computer (HTC) will launch up to three mobile handsets with Google's Android operating system this year, according to the company.

The three handsets include a model that uses China's homegrown 3G standard, a low-end phone with a removable face called the HTC Click, and the HTC Hero, said Jackie Zhang, marketing director at Dopod, which distributes HTC handsets in China, in an interview.

HTC's Android handsets have proved popular in the U.S. and Europe after the company became the first to sell an Android phone last year. HTC is also the world's largest maker of Windows Mobile handsets, which have gained a following in China.

No major manufacturer has launched an Android handset in China yet.

Dopod's low-end Android handset, code-named Click and not yet offered through HTC in other countries, will launch in China in the fourth quarter and cost around 3,400 yuan ($500), Zhang said. It will come with two detachable front covers that let users change the color of their handset.

The phone, which supports the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) 3G standard used by mobile operator China Unicom, could later launch outside China as well, Zhang said.

But first Dopod plans to launch the Hero, HTC's newest Android phone abroad. The Hero could start shipping in China late this month, though government tests for the phone's network access license could push the date back, said Zhang. China requires such testing for all handsets sold in the country.

The Hero will cost around 5,600 yuan, over 50 percent more than the Click, Zhang said. The 3G handset, also for China Unicom's network, will support the wireless LAN security protocol that China developed and is requiring in phones that support Wi-Fi, he said. The HTC Hero offered outside China does not support that protocol.

Another change made to the Hero for China will be the removal of Google Maps as an embedded application, Zhang said. Each piece of software put on a mobile phone must receive government approval, and China appears to consider Google Maps to be sensitive, he said. Users will still be able to download the application themselves or visit Google Maps in a mobile browser, he said.

A bright "Chinese red" version of the Hero is being considered for China in addition to white and light brown models, said Zhang.

Dopod is also developing an Android handset that supports the 3G standard being promoted by China Mobile, TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous CDMA). China Mobile so far has struggled to reel in users for the China-developed standard and hopes attractive handsets will support its efforts.

Dopod plans to release its Android handset for the standard late this year or next year, but its operating system is not confirmed, Zhang said. China Mobile might require the phone to use OMS (Open Mobile System), the carrier's own Android-based mobile operating system, rather than Android, he said. The China Mobile operating system is similar to Android but includes proprietary applications from the carrier such as its instant messaging client.

HTC's second Android phone in the U.S. and Europe, called Magic, will launch in China with the China Mobile operating system instead of Android, said Zhang. Dopod does not plan to launch the Dream, HTC's Android phone sold by T-Mobile as the G1, partly because keyboard-based handsets are not popular with Chinese users, he said.

Dopod could release between five and seven more Android phones in China next year, Zhang said.

China Mobile appears set to launch OMS this month to go head to head on a preemptive strike against China Unicom + Apple iPhone.

OMS stands for Open Mobile System. Its basically Google Android with a custom UI and China Mobile apps and services. The air interface is TD-SCDMA. OMS smartphones are called OPhones.

Dell appears ready to launch its first ever smartphone using OMS for China Mobile. Philips set to launch its own OPhone, along with Lenovo and Dopod (HTC). Motorola might also be preparing OPhones along with Huawei, ZTE and SciPhone.

Nokia appears readying to launch a TD-SCDMA smartphone for China Mobile but will be using Symbian.

Nortel is out of the running now, Motorola is in disarray. Alcatel Lucent has quit WiMax. Nokia-Siemens isn't ready.

It appears right now there are only three equipment vendors ready with LTE equipment by the end of 2009. Ericsson, ZTE & Huawei. Of the three, Huawei is also into WiMax and chalking up Wimax contracts worldwide. Also, Huawei and ZTE are the only two real contenders now in 3.5G HSPA+.