China's mobile operators are becoming more vocal about their opposition to TD-SCDMA technology (as much as they can), China's homegrown 3G standard that the government is pushing. The Chinese government wants at least one operator to implement the standard, which has yet to be deployed commercially and will be at a disadvantage when it comes to economies of scale and market maturity. Interestingly enough, the 2008 Olympics could play a big role in TD-SCDMA's future, as the country's operators look to showcase their 3G capabilities there and show the world how modern it is.
China's telecom operators reported year-end results last week and all made it clear they were circumspect of TD-SCDMA, although they didn't come right out and criticize it. The Chinese government also has to be wary of investors' opinions, and there will likely be an uproar if one of the telecom operators is "unfairly" forced to deploy TD-SCDMA.
For more about Chinese operators' views on TD-SCDMA:
- take a look at this report [1] from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
Links:
[1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114367010614511539.html?mod=telecommunications_primary_hs