China to issue 4G licences this year

China will speed up work to issue spectrum licenses for 4G mobile networks this year and accelerate development of broadband internet access, according toXinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People’s Republic of China.

The agency cited a statement released after an executive meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.

The meeting demanded 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, the statement said.

China Mobile, its largest telecom carrier, is promoting the TD-LTE standard and hopes to start commercial 4G rollout as soon as possible.

Central government officials have openly supported the TD-LTE standard, according to Xinhua, however there are signs that China Mobile’s two rivals, China Unicom and China Telecom, will opt to use FDD-LTE technology.