Chinese government-owned telecom equipment manufacturer Datang has selected Linux as the embedded operating system for a mobile handset designed to work with Datang's TD-SCDMA network equipment, expected to power 3G (third-generation) networks in China by 2005. The TD-SCDMA standard, the world's third 3G technology, may also see use in Europe and elsewhere.

TD-SCDMA, or “Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access,” is China's contribution to the ITU's IMT-2000 specification for 3G wireless mobile services, which typically offer broadband-like Internet access speeds alongside voice communications capabilities.

Datang claims to be the dominant IPR (intellectual property rights) holder behind the TD-SCDMA standard. It says the technology “significantly improves network performance by processing traffic in both uplink and downlink directions in a single band, reducing interference and transmitting all data types through one user terminal.”

The TD-SCDMA standard is promoted by the TD-SCDMA Forum, an industry group founded in late 2002 by China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Datang, Huawei, Motorola, Nortel, and Siemens.

Datang has confirmed that its 3G phone design is based on embedded Linux. Additionally, the company says it will offer its handset manufacturing partners the Opera Web browser as well, because the browser “supports all open Web standards necessary to browse the entire Web while operating on the TD-SCDMA network.”

China currently is “by far” the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world, according to Datang, with some 200 million subscribers.

“Opera is proud to be a part of the 3G migration in China,” said Opera CEO Jon S. von Tetzchner.

 
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