Chinese third-place operator China Telecom is planning an expansive 4G launch across 100 cities.
The operator received TD-LTE licences in December but thus far has not begun offering commercial 4G, with only market leader China Mobile launching services. However, this is set to change imminently.
The operator will reportedly offer 4G services priced in line with China Mobile’s – around CNY70 ($11.40) per month for a 1G data package, ranging up to CNY280 for 10GB.
China Telecom does not currently sell 4G-enabled smartphones and there is no clear timeline for a launch; however it does offer 4G data cards and wireless routers. China Mobile however is ahead in this regard, offering a selection of 4G-enabled handsets including the Apple iPhone 5S.
China Telecom’s 4G licence covers the home-grown TDD-LTE strand; licences covering the more widespread, internationally-developed FDD strand have not yet been issued in China. China Telecom and China Unicom are keen to obtain these licences so that they can begin offering both 4G technologies despite the likely CAPEX inefficiencies.
