New policies issued to help local 3G standard

China on Thursday announced 15 new policies meant to support its homegrown third generation (3G) mobile technology standard TD-SCDMA, the South China Morning Post reported. The measures, announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), will benefit the world’s largest mobile network operator, China Mobile, which received a TD-SCDMA license earlier this month. Key among the measures was the announcement that the government will add TD-SCDMA to its official procurement list and give those developing the technology priority in tapping funds. The MIIT may also provide discounts for telephone calls made through the TD-SCDMA network. The ministry said China’s three operators would invest about US$24.9 billion in 3G network construction this year, US$17.5 billion of which has already been spent. The three network operators aim to have 50 million 3G subscribers in three years, with a total investment of US$58.5 billion.