Motorola to Adopt China’s 3G Standard?

Looking to cement its current lead in the China cellphone market, Motorola said Monday that it is considering tie-ups with Chinese firms to develop 3G handsets that use China’s TD-SCDMA standard. In a telephone interview with Reuters, Motorola’s director of global strategy on 3G, Bob Schukai said that if China does adopt the domestically-developed TD-SCDMA, Motorola’s best business plan would be working through local partnership deals to draw on local expertise.

There are an estimated 800 plus handset models competing for a piece of the action, with foreign companies coming up against local players like Ningbo Bird and TCL International willing to cut profit margins for sales, Reuters reported.

Motorola already supplies 3G handsets that use WCDMA to the European arm of Hong Kong-based Hutchinson Whampoa, along with Japan’s NEC. Hutchinson recently blamed delays in handset supplies for setbacks in its aggressive European 3G investments, Reuters added. Motorola said it could ship similar handsets to China if WCDMA wins the 3G race. Continue >>