Licenses? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Licenses
Apparently China Mobile is getting just as tired of the ongoing delay in the government's release of 3G licenses, as rumors say it's put out requests for bids from vendors to build a 3G network. China Mobile is the world's largest operator, with more than 306 million users on its GSM network. However, the requests it has reportedly put out are for a TD-SCDMA network. TD-SCDMA, you might remember, has been believed in many quarters to be the main reason for the licensing delay, and at the last update, a government official say trials of the technology needed to continue. It's not too clear what -- if anything -- is really going on, whether China Mobile will get a license before the network is lit up, or if Chinese officials will just turn a blind eye to it, as they've done with other wireless and mobile technologies before. If that's the case, though, it would make China Mobile's decision to go with TD-SCDMA a bit more curious, unless it sees that as the only way to avoid the scorn of the government.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: 3g
