China United Telecommunications Corp. (China Unicom) has awarded the Phase III expansion of its Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 1X networks and upgrading of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks in the capital city and 12 leading provinces of China to Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector (GTSS).

The contract, worth about US$556 million, was signed today in Washington, D.C. at a ceremony held during the U.S.–China Seminar on Prospects for Cooperation in Telecom and IT. It was signed by Tong Jilu, China Unicom vice president, and Adrian Nemcek, executive vice president of Motorola, Inc., and president and chief executive officer of GTSS.

The CDMA2000 1X Phase III expansion will bring fast-downloading multimedia applications and high-quality voice services to mobile customers in Beijing and the provinces of Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Jiangxi, Jilin, Shanxi and Xinjiang. The GSM expansion also will be carried out in Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi and Xinjiang provinces.

The most recent expansions will provide users with new wireless experiences that are simpler, smarter and more fun. With the CDMA2000 1X – enabled increased speed, subscribers can easily download music and data directly from the Internet, and enjoy multi-media, video on demand and advanced location based services from their mobile phones.