China 3G standard trials pass without hitch -CCTV

SHANGHAI, March 3 (Reuters) - China's homegrown high-speed third-generation wireless standard looks ready for commercial use at the Beijing Olympics after network trials went off without a hitch, state media reported over the weekend.

Trials of TD-SCDMA went smoothly in what could be the last test before commercial promotion to consumers, the official CCTV said on Sunday, quoting industry officials.

TD-SCDMA stands for time division synchronous code division multiple access.

"Now we have our own patented TD-SCDMA standard, and we do not need to follow the U.S. and the European standards any longer," CCTV quoted Yang Hua, secretary general of an industry alliance of TD-SCDMA equipment vendors, as saying.

Last month, China awarded licences to six telecoms gear makers, including Lenovo Group (0992.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and LG Electronics (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), allowing their products to access the country's homegrown third-generation network.

The move gives Lenovo, LG, ZTE Corp (0763.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) 000063.SZ, Hisense Electric (600060.SS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Guangzhou New Postcom the chance to win procurement deals from China Mobile, China's top mobile carrier, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

China has promised to offer broadband-grade Web quality via mobile devices for visitors to the Olympics and industry analysts have been expecting China to issue 3G licences for the last few years, but the course has been rocky.

Beijing has been conducting pre-commercial trials of its locally developed TD-SCDMA standard in 10 cities, including six which are hosting Olympic events.

Analysts also expect the better-established W-CDMA and CDMA2000 standards for 3G to be launched in China alongside TD-SCDMA, although the timing is not yet known. (Reporting by Sophie Taylor; Editing by Edmund Klamann)