China Mobile eyeing 3G mobile services by end of "

China Mobile, China's largest mobile network operator, plans to roll out 3Gmobile services before the end of October, an AFP report said.

The AFP report said the company is going to invest more than 15 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) to build TD-SCDMA networks in 2007, the Beijing-based Economic Observer reported, citing a plan by China Mobile.

TD-SCDMA is a Beijing-backed standard for 3G telecoms services, technology that can transmit images and video at high speeds, the AFP report said.

The company will finish the construction of 8,602 TD-SCDMA base stations in eight cities including Beijing, Shanghai and the southern city of Shenzhen before October this year, the report said.

It will also complete the procurement of core equipment based on this standard before end-May, it said.

Repeated delays following promises to grant all 3G platform licenses has sparked speculation that its home-grown standard is not yet up to snuff, the report said.

The government has promised it will issue 3G licenses in time for operations to be launched by the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the report added.