China issues new broadcast standard

Beijing has set new technical standards for broadcasting multimedia content to mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reported. In a statement, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said that a homegrown standard "is very important for the growth of our indigenous industry and multimedia broadcasts for mobile devices". The agency did not say if the new standard, which was not named, would be the only one for mobile multimedia broadcasts. China is pushing forward with its own technology standards, including a homegrown one for 3G mobile-phone technology, to cut down on patent payments to foreign companies. Mobile phone operators are now waiting for the government to issue 3G licenses, a technology that would allow phone users to surf the internet and watch movies on their phones.