China Unicom, one of the three national network operators in the country, operates a 2G GSM and 3G UMTS network. Smaller than its major competitor, China Mobile, with some 140M subscribers compared to 500M at the end of 2009, it doubled its monthly increase in subscribers to some 1.8M at that time. It has the exclusive contract to sell the Apple iPhone, and is also able to offer a much wider range of handsets and devices because of its compatibility with the rest of the world.

3G came later to China than other countries, partly because it championed its own 3G technology variant (TDS-CDMA) which was awarded to China Mobile. The third operator, China Telecom, uses CDMA technology. All three are permitted to offer both wireline and wireless broadband services nationally.

China Unicom launched their 3G UMTS service in September 2009 and expects to grow quickly because of its wide appeal. As a new service, it does not have the reach and in-building penetration with its 3G network and so is bringing a 3G femtocell to market to quickly increase its appeal.

Additionally, its Apple iPhone is uniquely manufactured without the WiFi capability, which significantly hampers its use. By offering a 3G femtocell for use in the home and office, China Unicom may overcome these limitations.

China Unicom's femtocell service is branded as "3G Inn" and requires a monthly fee. The standalone unit is only available in Northern Provinces from launch at the end of October. Launch information is limited. A report from Reuters translated into English is quoted here. Further analysis on China Unicom femtocell launch here.

Comments (0)