TD-SCDMA, or "Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access," is
China's contribution to the ITU's IMT-2000 specification for 3G wireless mobile
services, which typically offer broadband-like Internet access speeds alongside
voice communications capabilities.
Datang claims to be the dominant IPR (intellectual property rights) holder
behind the TD-SCDMA
standard. It says the technology "significantly improves network
performance by processing traffic in both uplink and downlink directions in a
single band, reducing interference and transmitting all data types through one
user terminal."
The TD-SCDMA standard is promoted by the
TD-SCDMA Forum,
an industry group founded in late 2002 by China Mobile, China Telecom, China
Unicom, Datang, Huawei, Motorola, Nortel, and Siemens.
Datang has confirmed that its 3G phone design is based on embedded Linux.
Additionally, the company says it will offer its handset manufacturing partners
the Opera Web browser as well, because the browser "supports all open Web
standards necessary to browse the entire Web while operating on the TD-SCDMA
network."
China currently is "by far" the fastest growing mobile phone market in the
world, according to Datang, with some 200 million subscribers.
"Opera is proud to be a part of the 3G migration in China," said Opera CEO Jon
S. von Tetzchner.
