April 27, 2010 - Mobile phone chip makers MediaTek Inc and Qualcomm Incorporated are eyeing the opportunity brought by the construction of TD-LTE network by China Mobile Ltd.

China Mobile is seeking to test its TD-LTE networks in three coastal cities first, namely Qingdao, Xiamen, and Zhuhai, in the second half of 2010.Besides MTK and Qualcomm, VIA Telecom Inc. under the aegis of VIA Group and Marvell Technology Group also plan to foray into the TD-LTE chip market.

By the end of last year, China Mobile had a total of 522 million mobile phone subscribers, with more than 550,000 base stations. Its TD-SCDMA 3G network has covered 238 cities. And the number of its TD-SCDMA users has topped 3.41 million.

Yang Ye, secretary general of the TD-SCDMA Industry Alliance, revealed that certain foreign companies have begun providing TD-LTE chips, which have been used in the construction of TD-LTE network in the Shanghai World Expo Park. He has not mentioned the name of the chip makers.

source:Trading Markets