Chinese telecommunications players will meet in August to discuss standards for third-generation (3G) telephony and mobile television, state-run media reported Friday.The Mobile Multimedia Technology Alliance (MMTA) will meet in the southern Chinese city of Guilin Aug. 10 and 11 to discuss standards, the English-language website of People’s Daily said.The meeting may be a sign that Chinese telecom officials are preparing to issue 3G licenses.China’s top four telecom companies—China Telecommunications, China Network Communications Group (China Netcom), China Mobile Communications, and China United Telecommunications (China Unicom)—are all members of the MMTA, along with the research arm of the country’s Ministry of Information Industry. Telecom equipment manufacturers Potevio, Huawei Technologies, ZTE, Vimicro and Alcatel’s Alcatel Shanghai Bell round out the MMTA’s membership.The report said that officials from the Ministry of Information Industry, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology will also attend the meeting. China’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII), the nation’s telecom regulator, has never released a timetable for 3G licensing or said how many licenses it will issue, although industry participants generally believe MII will offer six licenses. Foreign carriers will not be allowed to apply for licenses.Chinese officials and industry executives have stated they want 3G in place in time for the August 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. However, with most analysts now predicting an early 2007 debut for 3G, that would leave operators with less time to test and implement the network before the Olympics than had previously been hoped.One issue has been the selection of a 3G standard. China’s own standard, time division-synchronous code division multiple access, is favored by local enterprises and government officials, but may delay wide uptake due to a lack of support from equipment and handset manufacturers.Several mobile television trials are under way throughout the country, using standards including digital audio broadcast and the Samsung Electronics-backed terrestrial digital mobile broadcasting, but no national standard has yet been designated.-Steven Schwankert, IDG News Service (Beijing Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe