China's telecommunications industry in the era of 3G and beyond: Market, technology, and institutions

摘要

The year of 2012 is doomed to be a year of transition for the Chinese government and its telecommunications industry, a year witnessing the transition of national leadership, the experimental evolution from 3G toward 4G, the elevated state initiatives in market convergence, among many other institutional, technological and economical developments. The year of 2012 can also be a critical turning point for China's telecom operators, namely, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, all of which have now constructed a national 3G network based on TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and CDMA2000, respectively and are poised for the next crusade of market competition on the eve of rising awareness of consumer sovereignty and saturating voice-grade services market. These new developments not only suggest new opportunities, but also call for new approaches and perspectives. With the world's largest subscriber base and a unique institutional setting, the Chinese case warrants focused scholarly investigation.