China Unicom kicked off bidding for WCDMA equipment procurement a week ago, disclosed an executive for the Beijing-based integrated telecoms company on November 4.

The telecoms operator is inviting bidding for WCDMA technology and equipment, according to the executive, noting that China Unicom is likely to build up its WCDMA networks two or three months after getting the 3G license. The mobile telecoms carrier needs to upgrade the software in the existing core GSM networks and the main boards in base stations in the GSM-to-WCDMA migration.

Notably, the company plans to adopt the most advanced WCDMA R6 technology in its network in the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai, facilitating a 14.4M upload speed and a 5.67M download speed. Less-advanced R99 and R5 technologies will be applied in networks in medium-and-smaller cities, said the executive.

China Unicom expects a surge in user number after its WCDMA networks come into service, as WCDMA is now the most widely-used telecommunications network technology around the world.

Source:SinoCast