Mobile alliance makes breakthroughs (China Daily) Updated: 2005-07-11 08:53
The Mobile Multimedia Technology Alliance (MMTA), composed of four telecom
operators China Unicom, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Netcom equipment
providers China Putian, Huawei, ZTE and Vimicro and the China Academy of
Telecommunication Research, was founded last October to vitalize independent IPR
in the sector.
Its purpose is to integrate the forces of various players in the value chain
of the mobile multimedia industry to promote innovation and standardization of
networks terminals and applications.
MMTA Vice-President Zhang Hui, also vice-commander-in-chief of the "Starlight
China Chip Project", is excited to see a new technical standard - Versatile
Media of Digital Format-midi (VMD-midi), an achievement of the project proposed
by the alliance - has recently been listed as a new technical standard in video
and audio processing of multimedia entertainment by the two top domestic
telecommunications operators, China Unicom and China Mobile.
Other standards currently widely adopted in this area such as the SP-midi,
SMF and CMX-midi, are all proposed by foreign counterparts.
"It has broken a foreign monopoly, and we believe it will be promoted to more
domestic and foreign operators," says Zhang.
Echoing Zhang's remarks, Ding Wenwu, director of the Products Management
Bureau of the Ministry of Information Industry, says that the adoption of the
VMD is set to raise the nation's profile in the fierce battlefield of global
telecoms.
In the 3G (third-generation) era, multi-media entertainment has become a
driving force and money spinner. Competition among operators and researchers in
this area hinge on IPRs, observers say.
Besides, China ranks top in the world in terms of telecom consumers and the
overall scale of the Internet, so independent IPRs are crucial for the nation to
survive the cut-throat competition and snatch more market share.
"Since the founding of the MMTA, government departments have given us strong
support ranging from funds, and equipment to human resources. The project was
listed as one of the key funding research and development progammes in the
integrated-circuits sector by the National Development and Reform Commission,"
says Zhang.
Research on ViMD was also strongly backed by the Ministry of Information
Industry, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Beijing Municipal
Government.
Si Wenku, director of the Science and Technology Bureau of the Ministry of
Information Industry, says that in the telecom sector, foreign operators and
developers have taken the lead in research and development and possess many core
IPRs on products, technology and even operational model.
This leads to unfair and stiff competition for domestic firms, so the
ministry encourages the joining-hands campaign among domestic firms such as the
founding of alliances of MMTA and the TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance, says the
official.
MMTA has also launched another campaign - the second series of the
"Startlight China Chip" developed by its member Vimicro was unveiled together
with ViMD recently.
About 40 million of the first series of the "Startlight Chinachip" developed
by the firm have penetrated the global market in computers, mobile phones and
digital cameras, occupying 40 per cent of the world's total and breaking a
foreign stranglehold in the chip market.
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