ZTE, China Mobile in 4G trial for Germany's No 3 wireless carrier

In a unique collaboration, mainland telecommunications industry stalwarts ZTE and China Mobile will launch a 4G trial for Germany's third-largest wireless carrier, E-Plus Group.

The pilot project will be based on the 4G standard called Time-Division Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE), which China Mobile has adopted in its own 4G network tests across the mainland.

The term 4G stands for fourth generation of mobile wireless standards for smartphones, laptops and other wireless devices. A 4G device would deliver peak online data download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second, faster than the current 42Mbps services offered by Hong Kong 3G operators.

Shenzhen-based ZTE, the nation's second-largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, will supply the 4G base stations, while China Mobile will provide technical support.

Typically, telecommunications infrastructure development projects involve a carrier that orders the equipment and the contracted supplier which helps to install it. The German carrier, however, saw China Mobile's TD-LTE expertise based on its own 4G network trials as important, prompting it to enlist the operator for technical support in ZTE's project.

The field trial, on E-Plus' recently acquired 2.6-gigahertz radio spectrum in Germany, will start this quarter, according to ZTE. Financial terms were not disclosed.