Commercializing 4G in China needs one year: minister

With the third-generation communication network flourishing in China, consumers are eager to know when they will be able to start using the next generation's network, 4G.

On the sidelines of the NPC sessions, the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information Technology, Miao Wei, said that the large-scale commercialization of 4G is currently in a testing phase, but that the network coverage still has a long way to go.

Miao Wei, Minister of China Ministry of Industry & IT, said, "Some factors are blocking the 4G development. First is the network. At the moment, even the 3G network is not fully received in many places across China, as it always drops to 2G due to poor network coverage. We have to speed up the installation of coverage technology so as to realize the smooth switching between 3G and 4G.

Licenses will still be given to China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. 4G will first be commercialized in six pilot cities as the network coverage will be available there. But it needs at least one year to commercialize it across the country."

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