With help from the Ministry of Information Industry and six major domestic telecom operators, SCDMA, familiarly known in China as "Big Smart", is expected to make more headway in 2005.
Findings from an Appraisal Commission held in Shaanxi Province last week are now being reported in the local media. All 278 test items for use on 400MHz SCDMA have been approved by the Appraisal Commission. This means that companies dealing with SCDMA can now move forward with expansion plans.
According to Beijing Xinwei Company, which is dealing with technical issues of SCDMA, "Big Smart" is especially designed to meet the real situations in rural areas. SCDMA phones are cheaper than CDMA and GSM alternatives and can handle the rough terrain offered in China's rural zones. By the end of 2004, SCDMA had boasted 3 million users in more than 100 towns across 16 provinces, cities and autonomous regions, and analysts expect at least a tenfold increase this year.
China's SCDMA industry alliance was formally launched on August 6, 2004.