China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) added 4.2 million subscribers in December 2009, brining their total to 522.3 million.

China Unicom added 1.56 million subscribers during the same month, their total is now 147.54 million.

China Telecom added 3.1 million subscribers, their total is now roughly 56.1 million.

Good job at deciding to pull out of China, Google (NSDQ: GOOG), why would anyone want a piece of one of the fastest growing mobile telecommunications market in the world today?

But but but, the censorship! Cry me a river.

Fact: The population of New Jersey is estimated to be 8.7 million, and while they’re not all like the douche bags on Jersey Shore, imagine signing up that many people per month.

[Via: Cellular News]

RIM has been making some serious inroads with China lately, between locking down a distribution deal with Digital China and China Telecom, but China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) is still the biggest deal. They kicked off with the BlackBerry 8700 awhile back, but we haven’t heard much about other BlackBerrys available in the area (although apparently the Curve 8320, Curve 8900, and Storm 9500 are also options). China Mobile today introduced the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 8520 for $HK 2480, and buyers can try out a new bare-bones instant messaging and e-mail service plan for $HK 68/month. We’ve seen similar offers up here in Canada, and they’re a good option for those who just want to dip their toes in the BlackBerry pool without dedicating to a heavy-duty plan. The 8520 isn’t the highest-end BlackBerry on the planet, but plans for an LTE device are well underway. Head over to China Mobile store for more details.

[via RIM]

The GSA (Global Suppliers Association) is reporting that over the past 8 months there has been a near 100% increase in the number of operators around the world committing to the LTE standard. There are now 51 network commitments in 24 countries, an increase of 96% over the past 8 months. Not all is rosy in terms of a frequencies however with the EU mainly sticking to 2.6 GHz for LTE, American operators using 700 MHz, and the Japanese using 800 MHz, 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz depending on operator. Why is LTE (Long Term Evolution) important? It’s going to be 10x faster than today’s networks, with less latency, and it can scale to support more users. It really is going to be the next generation of wireless. Here is a list of who is working on what:

• Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is deploying LTE in the 700 MHz band. Trial networks are set up in Boston and Seattle, each with 10 LTE sites. Verizon in planning to launch LTE in up to 30 commercial markets by the end 2010, giving coverage to roughly 100 million people, and to deploy a nationwide network by 2013.
• AT&T (NYSE: T) will deploy LTE in 700 MHz and plans to launch LTE in “key markets” during 2011.
• China Mobile is building their TD-SCDMA network so that cell sites and other elements can be upgraded seamlessly to support LTE. TD-LTE is estimate to be commercially available around 2012. China Telecom plans to migrate to LTE.
• Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) Germany is deploying an LTE system using digital dividend (790-862 MHz) spectrum. The government plans to auction 6 blocks of 2×5 MHz Digital Dividend spectrum in Q2 2010.
• In Japan the LTE operators will use 1.5 GHz (DoCoMo and Softbank Mobile), 1.5 GHz + 800 MHz (KDDI), and 1.7 GHz (eMobile). NTT DoCoMo plans to launch a commercial LTE launch in December 2010. They will initially focus on PC usage and will only begin offering dual-mode 3G/LTE handsets in 2011. By 2014 NTT DoCoMo plans to provide LTE service to 50% of the population from around 20,000 base stations at a cost of between $3 to 4 billion. eMobile says their LTE network will launchin September 2010.
• SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM), KTF and LG Telecom are deploying LTE networks in South Korea right now.
• Telstra will deploy LTE in hotspots in Australia, mainly in urban areas in 2.6GHz spectrum, and will fill rural broadband gaps using 700MHz. Neither of these bands has been auctioned yet though.
• Telecom Italia plans to deploy LTE and reported in December 2009 that a technical trial using 14 LTE cell sites on its existing mobile broadband infrastructure in Turin delivered 140 Mbps down.
• TeliaSonera Sweden is deploying LTE using nationwide 2 x 20 MHz 2.6 GHz spectrum. On May 25, 2009 TeliaSonera unveiled the world’s first commercial LTE site, part of the LTE network scheduled to launch in Stockholm in 2010.
• Tele2 Sweden and TeleNor Sweden are jointly building an LTE network. The joint venture includes spectrum sharing in the 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. Launch of LTE services is targeted for end 2010, or when modems are available. By 2013 the operators expect 99% of the Swedish population to have access to mobile broadband at speeds up to 80 Mbps in rural areas and up to 150 Mbps in urban areas.
• TeliaSonera Norway is planning to launch an LTE commercial launch in Oslo in 2010.
• TeleNor has an LTE trial network in Oslo and has also committed to commercial deployment.
• France Telecom (Orange) is trailing LTE and deployment is planned for 2011, subject to availability of (2.6 GHz) spectrum.
• T-Mobile Germany anticipates LTE deployment from 2011, with trials underway this year.
• MetroPCS (USA) plans an LTE launch in 2H 2010.
• Cox (USA) has made plans to deploy LTE in 700 MHz spectrum from 2011.
• Aircell will launch LTE in 2011 to boost capacity of their in-flight network.
• Bell Canada and Telus have deployed a joint HSPA network, which will later be upgraded to LTE. Rogers Wireless is conducting LTE trials right now.
• In Hong Kong 2 x 15 MHz blocks of 2.6 GHz FDD spectrum have been auctioned, and won each by China Mobile, Genius Brand (Hutchison Telecom/PCCW) and CSL Limited.
• SmarTone-Vodafone plans to deploy LTE re-using their GSM (900/1800) spectrum in Hong Kong.
• Smart Communications has conducted the first LTE trial in the Philippines. Piltel is reported to have applied for the remaining 3G licence in the country to deploy LTE services.
• Chunghwa Telecom is firmly committed to LTE, however the spectrum situation in Taiwan is unclear. Deployment is expected to start from around 2012.
• Speaking at the LTE Forum 2009 in Lisbon, Portugal, Telecom CEO Zeinal Bava announced LTE trials would be undertaken in Portugal and Brazil.
• Vodacom is testing LTE in its South Africa and reportedly has 1,000 LTE ready cell sites with launch planned “when handsets become available”.
• VivaCell-MTS in Armenia, is reported to have confirmed plans to deploy LTE in 2010.
• MTS, Uzbekistan will deploy LTE and is setting up a pilot LTE network in Tashkent for testing 2010-2012.
• T-Mobile Austria launched a 60 cell site trial LTE network in Innsbruck in July 2009.
• 3 Austria provided a live LTE demonstration at the European Forum in Alpbach, and on August 25, 2009 announced that upgrading of their entire network for LTE had begun, and that the company will have the technical capability to offer LTE to customers from 2011.
• In Denmark a public consultation on 2.6 GHz is underway. An auction is expected during Q1 2010.
• Telefonica has conducted LTE field tests at its Madrid Demonstrations Center, achieving download speeds over 140 Mbps, and plans to trial LTE on its mobile networks in Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, and the UK.
• Bouygues Telecom has selected an infrastructure partner for Europe’s first LTE trial in the 1800 MHz band. The trial is scheduled to begin in 2010 at a number of sites in the western part of France.
• An auction for 2.6 GHz spectrum recently closed in Finland and three operators (Elisa, TeliaSonera and DNA) won a piece of it; they all plan to deploy LTE.

As for LTE devices, LG is saying that the first LTE handsets should come to market. Samsung and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) have already demonstrated LTE modems that you’ll soon see sticking out the side of laptops in cafés all around the world.

Hot on the heels of their Chinese distribution deal, RIM has announced that they’re working with China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) not only on a TD-SCDMA handset, but one compatible with China’s emerging TD-LTE standard. This is the first time we’ve heard RIM talking firmly about LTE, and it’s pretty exciting to think about what they’ve got planned for the rest of the world. TD-LTE will be built about China’s existing TD-SCDMA network, which is specific to the country (so you won’t be able to get one shipped in and use it at home on a local LTE network).

China Mobile began their TD-LTE trials about two years ago, and since then HTC has been the only handset manufacturer to commit to supporting it. As far as RIM is concerned, there has been talk for some time that an LTE BlackBerry is in the works and it’s headed to meroPCS. While no date has been set for such a smartphone in China, they’re promising to bring some long-overdue BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Internet Service and something for SMBs (BlackBerry Professional Software?) in 2010. This should do wonders for getting RIM to bust out of the corporate niche and dive into the Chinese market at large.

[via RIM]

Motorola will soon be pushing their Android wares in China. According to a new report from IDG, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) will soon send the Motorola MT710 Android smartphone to China as a keyboard-less variant of Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Motorola DROID. Starting December 28th, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) will offer the Motorola MT710 as part of their OPhone Android lineup, which offers Android phones running a special version of Android customized by China Mobile. The launch could be a boon to Motorola, as it sets its sights on the 510 million wireless subscribers currently tied China Mobile’s network.

Like the DROID, the Motorola MT710 features 5-megapixel camera, a large capacitive touchscreen display measuring 3.7-inches, supports WiFi networks (newly provisioned under China’s new WiFi protocol), and pulls down data at 3G speeds. But, because this is China Mobile, the MT710 will work on the carrier’s TD-SCDMA network. The handset will apparently forgo the slide-out QWERTY keyboard that the Motorola DROID features, opting instead for a slimmer form-factor.

Hopefully, the Chinese launch of the MT710 means that a slate-style DROID variant will be hitting US shores sometime soon. The Motorola XT701, perhaps?

Find out more about the Moto MT710 here.

[Via: Engadget]

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) will be shipping an XpressMusic device to the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of number of subscribers – China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) — or at least the carrier’s logo on the phone suggests so. It’s the Nokia 5132 XpressMusic, an entry-level candybar, which looks pretty much the same as Nokia’s other device – 5130 XpressMusic.

Expect a 2-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, “advanced music player,” and of course a microSD expansion slot (a 1GB card is included in the box).

Release date and pricing information are unknown at the moment, but as soon as we hear something new, we’ll certainly share. Stay tuned…

[Via: Unwired View]

After a sneak peek, the LG GW880 OPhone has been announced by China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). The GW880 packs a 3.5-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen, Bluetooth, 5-megapixel camera, 256MB of RAM/512MB of ROM, CMMB mobile TV and running on Android over China’s TD-SCDMA network. Of course, the apps will all be approved by big daddy China Mobile before making it to the market, but it should still give the iPhone a bit of a fight over there. The Android scene is just getting started in China, too; Lenovo and Motorola are likely launching their own handsets also running on China Mobile’s Open Mobile Phone framework. No word on release date or price point for the GW880, but we’ll be keeping an ear open.

[LG via Akihabara]

According to Secretary General of the TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance, Yang Hua, subscribers to China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)’s 3G network are expected to exceed 100 million within two years. Mr. Yang said this at the 2009 Sino-Japan TD-SCDMA Collaboration Conference.

According to statistics from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, since trial operation began on April 1st, 2008, TD-SCDMA users have surpassed figure of 1.2 million. Now that the 2nd phase of TD-SCDMA rollout has been completed, the service has been provided in 38 cities, while the 3rd phase of construction is going on in order to make the service cover 238 cities by the end of this year.

China Mobile is the only operator using TD-SCDMA in China, and it expects to spend around $8.6 billion in the infrastructure during this year.

[Via: CellularNews]

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is all about Android these days, no matter which flavor of Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s mobile OS we’re talking about. Whether it’s the official fully opened Android or China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)’s flavor – OPhone. In terms of the latter, the American company is preparing an all-touchscreen device marked as MT710, which is said to rock a huge 3.7-inch WVGA display and 3G radio that sings along China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA network. Other than that, we’ve no more information to share at the moment, except to share our hope Moto will launch this baby in the Western hemisphere, too. As soon as we hear something new, you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

China has their own 3G standard. First thing you may be asking yourself is why? China has always done their own thing, and by developing an alternative to WCDMA they save themselves the burden of having to pay for WCDMA royalties. Every decision in today’s mobile world, and I mean every single bloody decision from the materials used to make the body of a device, to whether the instruction manual inside the package comes printed in color or black and white, comes down to money. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) feels that with China’s population of 1.3 billion people, playing their game and making devices that work on their network would be beneficial to their bottom line.

Politics out of the way, does anything make the 6788 special? Well it has two 8s in the product name, which is a big thing in China. Some Chinese, a fair bit actually, are still superstitious and believe that the number 8 will bring them good luck. When picking a mobile phone number, they want to make sure it has as many 8s as possible, and they’ll even pay to have a phone number with a lot of 8s. Specification wise you have a massive 2.8 inch screen that is sadly QVGA (320 x 240) resolution, a 5 megapixel camera, and it’s powered by S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. The 6788 will star shipping in December on China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), price unknown. Looks like Colin Giles, Nokia Senior Vice President for Greater China, Japan and Korea, kept his promise.

[Photo below via All About Symbian]
[Press Release]