The world of telecommunications is on the edge of 3G, and there are three standards competing for a look in. China is up there with Europe and the United States, developing its own home- grown standard for third generation mobile technology. But when the country comes to choosing, which 3G is it going to be? Wang Xin reports from the China Telecom Expo in Beijing, where the developers of the Chinese standard are full of hope.

These are the latest mobile phones based on China's home-grown TDS-CDMA standard. They are still in the trial stages, and can't compete in terms of appearances. But they're the pride and joy of the 3G standard's developer, Datang Telecom Technology.

This is the first time that Datang Telecom Technology is showcasing its mobile phones. The plan now is to increase the amount of data they can transmit while also making them smaller and cheaper.

YANG YIGANG, Vice President

Yang Yigang, vice president of Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Group, said, "We hope that when China launches its 3G network, our TDS-CDMA standard will be at the same level as its overseas rivals."

The TDS-CDMA standard was developed years after its foreign counterparts. But its fast progress is apparently acting as a spur to its rivals. Ericsson, a main backer of Europe's W-C-D-M-A standard, is for the first time showing live demos of the 3G application in China.

Paul Geoghegan, senior director of Systems Marketing, Ericsson China, said, "I believe competition is good for the industry, for the market, for the end users. ... We welcome competition."

China boasts the world's largest mobile phone market, with close to 350 million subscribers. It plans to upgrade its mobile technology standard to 3G from the current 2G or 2.5G.

"China has not specified when it will issue licenses for the 3G networks. But there is speculation that it won't be until late next year. In the meantime, the industry will certainly see more intense competition between the different standards.

(CCTV.com)