BridgePort Networks and China Unicom (CHU) say that technical trials of BridgePort Networks' MobileVoIP convergence solution are underway by China Unicom Telecommunications Corporation's Guangdong Branch.

China Unicom's Guangdong branch will test a Mobile/IP convergence, single identity service, that could ultimately target more than 100 million subscribers through the use of a cellular phone, PC based VoIP soft client, fixed SIP phone, analog telephone adapter and/or dual mode cellular/Wi-Fi mobile phone.

The trial uses BridgePort Networks' open standards based NomadicONE Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) to seamlessly converge China Unicom Guangdong Branch's cellular network with VoIP delivered over their broadband fiber backbone and access networks.

MobileVoIP can enable China Unicom to further differentiate its voice and messaging service offerings and further grow its current subscriber base of 88 million GSM, 30 million CDMA and 10 million Internet subscribers.

According to a recent report by analyst firm iSuppli Corp., China's broadband subscribers will overtake the United States in two years. The report estimates that by the end of 2007, China will have 57 million broadband subscribers, compared to 54 million in the United States. Additionally, Strategy Analytics has forecasted that by 2010 the Chinese market will account for 64 percent of the Asia-Pacific region's 176 million broadband subscribers.