China prepares for 4G in December
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China prepares for 4G in December

China will launch commercial 4G services on December 18, according to local reports.

China Mobile will reportedly launch the services under its new brand, He – which means harmonious in Chinese – and expects to bring the advanced technology to over one billion mobile users.

The service will be initially rolled out in Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing, with the network expected to be running in Shanghai shortly after.

The Chinese government has allocated 4G spectrum to three operators in the country and is expected to issue the licences before China Mobile’s service becomes operational.

China Mobile was allocated spectrum in the 1880-1900MHz, 2320-2370MHz and 2575-2635MHz bands, while China Unicom secured spectrum in the 2300-2320MHz and 2555MHz-2575MHz bands and China Telecom won frequencies at 2370-2390MHz and 2635-2655MHz.

The commercial launch of 4G will allow the country to compete with the likes of South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, which are already operating and developing LTE networks.

In October this year, China Mobile revealed vendor contracts for the 4G roll-out, which saw more than half go to domestic equipment makers.

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