Although the final result for its second-round TD-SCDMA tender has not come out yet, China Mobile (CHL) has now started its planning for the third-round TD-SCDMA deployment and the company will reportedly set up TD-SCDMA networks in 162 Chinese cities.

According to local media reports, China Mobile has already handed in its third-round TD-SCDMA construction report to the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The report says that China Mobile will construct TD-SCDMA networks in 162 Chinese cities before the end of 2009. The company may invest approximately CNY55.8 billion to construct 57,421 base stations. Of those funds, about CNY39 billion will be used in wireless network construction, including CNY20.2 billion in wireless equipment purchases, and CNY18.8 billion in other expenditures.

In mid-September 2008, China Mobile published a second-round TD-SCDMA tender report on its official website, aiming to purchase 23,000 wireless base stations with a total investment of about CNY30 billion. Eight companies, including Datang, ZTE, Potevio, Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, FiberHome and Postcom, participated in the tender. So far, the final result for the second-round tender has not been revealed.

China Mobile has already deployed 14,543 base stations in eight Chinese cities in its first-round TD-SCDMA network construction. Of these base stations, 3,402 are located in Beijing, 2,621 are in Shanghai, 2,216 are in Guangzhou and 2,076 are in Shenzhen. The company invested about CNY15 billion in the trial network project.