According to an insider from China Mobile, the company will deploy its first TD-LTE trial network in Shanghai and will bring it into trial operation during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
This is also China Mobile's first 4G commercial trial network.
With coverage of 15 hectares, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Site has many permanent buildings, including China Pavilion, Theme Pavilion, Expo Performance Center, Expo Center and Expo Axis, as well as temporary buildings and facilities. During the 184 days World Expo, more than 20,000 cultural activities will be held in the site and many international tourists will visit the site, which provide a good opportunity for the display of the TD-LTE technology.
At present, TD-LTE is one of the 4G standards that has a good outlook in China. According to the plan of China Mobile, TD-LTE is the future direction for its development. The company is currently managing the TD-SCDMA services for its 3G business. The international recognized definition for 4G is those services which can reach a downlink rate of 100 megabytes per second. Prior to this, Chinese telecommunications equipment provider Datang and Potevio have deployed their TD-LTE equipment with a downlink rate of 100 megabytes per second and an uplink rate of 50 megabytes per second in the Barcelona Mobile World Congress.
In October 2008, Datang Mobile and China Mobile jointly launched the industry's first TD-LTE service. In September 2008, Potevio launched its first TD-LTE model system. The company plans to launch its first commercial model equipment in the third quarter of 2009 and the commercial equipment are expected to be launched in March 2010.