
China Mobile to encourage rivals to use TD-LTE
China Mobile is determined not to be in a ‘minority’ in the market and is hoping that at least one of its two domestic rivals will take up its 4G standard, Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE).
China Mobile has been hindered by its decision to use the home-grown TD-SCDMA platform for its 3G rollout as the only operator to use the technology; the cellco had limited support from vendors and suffered from a scarcity of compatible handsets. China Mobile has subsequently sought to drum up support for the TD-LTE standard as opposed to its direct competitor Frequency Division-LTE (FD-LTE) to prevent a repeat of its 3G experience.
Sina Tech also quotes the leaked missive as saying that the platform’s success depends on having a greater number of TD-LTE operators, adding that it will be ‘difficult to succeed’ if there are too few, as the support of chip makers is crucial.