4G licenses might be in two or three years

Beijing (CNS) -- China will not issue 4G licenses for another two to three years, before the ongoing network size test, some other large-scale tests, and a trial commercial process are accomplished.

Minister Miao Wei of Industry and Information Technology briefed the media about the new technology's current progress and obstacles, as well as the comprehensive timeline for the project.

China's 4G project, based on TD-LTE technology and led by the China Mobile Communication Corporation (CMCC), achieved positive outcomes in six cities last year, and will expand to a wider range of pilot cities this year, Miao confirmed.

The Zhejiang branch of CMCC has offered the public in the capital city of Hangzhou the opportunity to experience 4G services, and is mulling over a provincial trial commercial plan.

In fact, the 4G experience campaign was initiated during the 2008 Olympics but failed to address public demands, Miao admitted.

Though it might take longer to ramp up this time, all preparations for mature products are critical to their success, Miao said with determination.

Two problems are hindering the process for the moment.

First, 220,000 TD-SCDMA (3G technology) base stations around the country are not densely enough distributed for 4G standards. To solve the problem, 180,000 more base stations will be constructed in three years.

The second problem is the current immaturity of terminals. Resolving that will involve a whole industrial chain of cell phone makers, software developers and chip manufacturers. A new generation of smart phones qualified for 4G technology is coming into being by the end of this year or early in 2013 at the latest, Miao expects.