China Mobile puts 3G handsets to tender

China Mobile Communications will call for bidders in October to provide third-generation mobile handsets based on the Chinese-developed TD-SCDMA standard. The Wall Street Journal quoted an industry group as saying the company will award contracts worth between US$500-800 million for up to 3 million handsets that offer high-speed wireless services. The handsets should be delivered early in 2008. "It's our understanding that all the major handset producers in China will be involved," said Chen Haofei, secretary general of the TD-SCDMA Forum. China Mobile is China's, as well as the world's, largest mobile carrier by users with 321.4 million subscribers in April.