Chinese equipment vendor ZTE said Monday that it has been awarded a TD-SCDMA network entry certificate by the country’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII).

The certificate marks ZTE as one of the first vendors allowed to sell kit based on the homebrew 3G standard in China.

Local equipment maker Datang is also reported to have been awarded a certificate to sell TD-SCDMA kit.

Before obtaining the network entry certificate, companies must undergo a series of stringent tests organised by the MII. ZTE’s equipment was tested in China’s trial TD-SCDMA stations in Xiamen, Shanghai and Qingdao.

The licensing of 3G vendors is another box ticked in the run up to the licensing of 3G spectrum. Licensed equipment vendors are expected to be in for a slice of a multi billion dollar pie when Chinese operators get around to buying up 3G infrastructure.