3G mobile phone service available for Olympics

[photopress:it_samsung_youtube.jpg,full,alignright]The official word is that the third-generation (3G) mobile phone service is ready for use in the upcoming Beijing Olympics as the high-speed wireless connection service and related products were formally delivered on Monday.

China Mobile, China’s top wireless operator, and South Korean cell phone producer Samsung presented 15,000 3G handsets, plus data cards and nearly three million RMB($428,600) of calling fees (not cash), to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 29th Olympic Games

With this excellent offer, work staff and volunteers of the Games can enjoy high-speed data transmissions, which allow them to watch televised games, play videos, and surf the Internet on cell phones.

The service is based on the Chinese 3G standard, known as TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access).

China Mobile has basically finished construction of the TD-SCDMA network in eight cities, five of which are to host events for the Beijing Olympics in August, including Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.
China had promised to provide 3G service for the Games and this is sort of keeping the promise in the most populated parts of the country.

China Mobile is the sole cooperative partner for the Beijing Olympics in mobile communications services while Samsung is the only one in mobile terminal supply so the figures as stated will stand.

China Mobile started the commercial trials of 3G services in the country in April.The ITU, the International Telecommunication Union, recognized TD-SCDMA as one of the world’s three official 3G standards in 2000.

The other two are Europe’s WCDMA and North America’s CDMA 2000 and visitors who bring phones running to those standards will be able to do many things. But not watch the Olympics. Still it is a partal victory and we should give two cheers — somewhat muted perhaps — but cheers nonetheless.
Source: China.com