Professor Zhen Jianhong, in charge of a development project sponsored by the Chongqing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications, says that China has developed its first 3-G mobile phone set, and it is also the first TD-SCDMA phone of its kind in the world.

Compared with GSM, TDMA digital mobile phones, or 2-G mobile phones, and their predecessor analog mobile phones, the 3-G phones are a more powerful telecommunication tool.

The 3-G mobile phone is widely considered as the future of mobile telecommunications, capable of providing such services as Internet webpage browsing, teleconferencing, and electronic commerce. Chinese telecommunications giant Datang has set up an experimental network for TD-SCDMA mobile phones in Jiangbei District in Chongqing, southwest China. The developers are seeking cooperation with domestic mobile phone producers and operators to commercialize the product, with the first group of the phones expected to be available in 2005.