China not embracing 3G

January 2007

U.S. commerce secretary says China is thwarting global
technology innovation by not embracing 3G standards.

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez Tuesday, January 9, criticized China for delaying the creation of a 3G (third generation) wireless network in that country, saying it is thwarting global technology innovation by not embracing standards. Speaking in a session at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, Gutierrez said companies around the world must support common standards to promote a worldwide environment for technology innovation, not have their own "pockets of standards." He used China, where the government continues to hold out on granting licenses to build 3G networks, as an example of that misstep.

China has delayed plans to build a 3G network for several years, he said. Many believe it is because the government wants to promote its own homegrown 3G standard, called TD_SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), instead of embracing a version of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), on which other countries have built or are building 3G networks. To do its part to encourage competition in the technology industry, the U.S. has to revise current legislation that governs the technology industry and remain as hands_off as possible, he said.
Source: http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/10/HNusslapschinafor3 G_1.html