China is officially rolling out its CDMA (code division multiple access) mobile phone network in January, starting in Shanghai.
The long-awaited launch will be conducted by China Unicom - the SAR-listed arm of China's No 2 cellular carrier of the same name - after trial runs in some mainland cities.
The CDMA network is owned by the parent but service operation will be handled by the listed vehicle.
A China Unicom spokesman yesterday said commercial operation was planned to begin at the start of next year, but would not give a timetable for full mainland coverage.
China Unicom's Shanghai branch announced it would offer CDMA services by January 19, according to the Shanghai Daily.
'The new mobile service will attract 50 million users, including 2.5 million in Shanghai by 2003,' the paper said, quoting the general manager of the branch.
Parent China Unicom Group has budgeted 24 billion yuan (about HK$22.48 billion) in capital expenditure for the first phase of the network, in anticipation of 15.15 million users.
