China Mobile gets the nod to build nationwide 3G network

The government has given the green light to China Mobile Communications Corp (CMCC), parent of Hong Kong-listed China Mobile Ltd, to build a nationwide commercial trial network based on TD-SCDMA technology, a home-grown third generation (3G) mobile phone standard.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has "approved a plan by CMCC to expand its current TD-SCDMA commercial trial network (in select cities) to a nationwide basis", a ministry spokesman told China Daily yesterday.

He did not provide a time frame for when China Mobile would start the expansion, however.