4G before 3G: China pioneers 4G while 3G supporters have to wait - even longer

Details: Michael Schwartz; Category: Trends & Forecasts; 14 February 2007; 12068 views

China is a market which astounds observers with amazing regularity. On this occasion two sources of surprise are almost in competition. The first is that China has just completed a 4G trial in Shanghai and moved to full development - the surprise being that it has achieved this before rolling out 3G. The second surprise is that Chinese 3G has taken so long, as one of our own recent reports has noted...

The generations were supposed to unravel in numerical order, namely from 1G to 2G to 3G to 4G. China, or rather, part of its telecommunity, wants to do things differently. Our current review of 3G summarises for Developing Telecoms readers the delays currently being encountered. What was not bargained for was that 4G would go on trial in China before 3G. And as if that was not enough, the Shanghai suburb where the trial took place is now ready for everyday broadband wireless, making it the first place in the world to enjoy 4G facilities.

The one non-surprise is that it is China that has achieved this 'first' - the development is a tribute to her expertise. So much for the established order of things.So what has happened in China? Well, it is the Changing area of Shanghai that has become the first place anywhere to experience a 4G assessment. The trial is costing over US$19 million and is intended to allow processing at speeds of no less than 100Mb/s. Such is the importance attached to it that it has been lodged as part of China's national high-tech development plan.

The project goes back to 2001, when China instigated the FuTURE Project (Future Technology for Universal Radio Environment), otherwise known as B3G (Before 3G)/4G. Project principal specialist You Xiaohou is distinctly upbeat: "It testifies that the technology we've developed is feasible and brings us one step closer to put it into commercial use...The Shanghai system shows that we have entered the final phase of our project."

As further proof of the significance apportioned to 4G by China, the former has had more than 200 patents invested in it. On the domestic front, ten leading Chinese institutions are tied up with FuTURE. Globally certain 4G-oriented Chinese technologies have been adopted by international players - China has staked her place among the 4G leaders.China is keeping up remarkably well with the timetable she imposed: field tests for 4G and commercial trials between 2006 and 2010. China's aims are wireless transmission at optical fibre speeds and at the highest possible quality. The rest of the world has elected 2010 as the year for full commercial inception.

Which leaves us with 3G (again). China has yet to award the licences which will permit domestic telecom operators to build 3G mobile phone networks but, as ITU Telecom World delegates heard in Hong Kong last year from China Minister of Information Wang Xudong, it might happen 'very soon.' China appears to have made waiting into an Olympic sport - surely 3G must be ready for that extravaganza next year in Beijing?