International operators track China's 3G technology

An executive from one of China's largest telecom equipment vendors said international mobile network operators have expressed interest in the country's homegrown third-generation (3G) mobile technology, TD-SCDMA, the South China Morning Post reported. Isaac Liang, international marketing director of TD-SCDMA at ZTE, claimed that at least 10 overseas carriers have shown interest in the technology. Some have already signed agreements for the procurement of TD-SCDMA equipment. Liang declined to name the carriers or their countries but said they were in Asian markets surrounding China, as well as in Africa and Latin America. He said these operators were interested in the technology because of its low cost and the opportunity to cooperate with China Mobile, which is currently running trial TD-SCDMA networks and will likely receive a TD-SCDMA 3G license.