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China Should Take Careful Steps Toward 3-G Network
Top telecommunications experts have urged China to take careful steps to ensure the success of the third-generation (3-G) mobile network.
At a regular high-tech forum hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), Zhu Gaofeng, CAE's vice president, said that the telecommunications circle in China should analyze the future market of the new mobile network before making any final decisions.
Most of the developed countries are enthusiastically promoting research and development of the 3-G system and terminal products. They want to provide wideband networks, which support multimedia service and Internet connection, for mobile phone users.
The existing Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is not suitable for digital exchange with high capacity in today's world. When developing the third-generation mobile network, Japan and European countries are choosing the standards of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) while the United States is favoring CDMA2000.
Zhu, a CAE academician, said that the prospects of the 3-G network rests with potential market demand.
The industrial circles estimated that the 3-G will replace the current generation of technology in ten years. But Zhu claimed that it might take longer for large-scale commercial use.
The high cost of the 3-G system may impede any immediate development of the technology, Zhu said.
China has the world's largest GSM network, therefore Chinese experts should work for a smooth evolution from the second generation to the third, he said.
Latest statistics show that China has about 85.2 million subscribers of the GSM network, which covers 95 percent of the cities in China.
According to authoritative estimates, the total number of users of mobile networks will reach 200 million by the end of 2005. The state also plans to invest 500 billion yuan (US$60.24 billion) on mobile telecommunications infrastructure and another 500 billion yuan on mobile terminals.
Chinese companies should pay more attention to the latest developments in the field in developed countries, Zhu urged.
Meanwhile, mobile manufacturers ought to develop concerned technologies and quality products with their own intellectual property, he said.
A total of eight leading engineers gave lectures at the forum, which started in January 2000 and targets hot issues in the engineering field.
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