MIIT Issues TD-LTE Licenses to China's Three Telcos
Tencent Tech, 12/04/13
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) today officially issued TD-LTE operating licenses to China Mobile Communications Corporation, China Telecom Corporation Limited, and China United Network Communications Group, the parent companies of China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK), China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK), and China Unicom (NYSE: CHU; 0762.HK; 600050.SH), respectively. According to the MIIT, the ministry's decision to grant the licenses was due to the following criteria: the three operators have all developed large-scale TD-LTE trial networks; TD-LTE technology has improved; and the industry now possesses large-scale commercial capabilities.
Additionally, The MIIT will: approve the launch of FDD-LTE network technology trials based on company applications; inspect and verify the hybrid FDD-LTE/TD-LTE network model; and issue FDD-LTE licenses after all conditions are met.
China Telecom has issued a release stating that it will apply for an FDD-LTE license as soon as is practical.
Editor's Note: The MIIT recently allocated expanded TD-LTE trial frequency bands to the three major telecom operators. For more background on this topic, please see "China Expands TD-LTE Trial Spectrum Available to Telcos" MD 11/20/13 issue. We expect the MIIT will issue FDD-LTE licenses within the next 6 months.
Keywords: China Mobile Communications Corporation China Telecom Corporation Limited China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom telecom wireless MIIT FDD-LTE CHL TD-LTE 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH CHA CHU license China United Network Communications Group 4G timetable
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