China issues 4G licences, service to start this year

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued 4G licences to the country’s three mobile network operators: China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, according to state news agency Xinhua.

China Mobile, the country’s leading operator with 747 million subscribers according to Informa’s WCIS, will commercially launch 4G services on December 18. The operator has launched a new brand, He (which means “harmonious” in Mandarin) to offer the services.

The launch of 4G services is part of the implementation of the “Broadband China” strategy. China is aiming for annual average growth of 20 per cent in the information consumption industry from 2013 to 2015, according to a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council in July.

While all the licenses awarded are understood to be for TD-LTE usage only, it’s reported in Xinhua that China Unicom and China Telecom  have expressed their desire to use FDD-LTE technology.

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