The Chinese government is coming under increasing pressure to formulate a clear policy on 3G licensing. The China Mobile Communications Association is urging the Beijing administration to decide now on its future plans for next generation mobile licences in the country.

The Association, a powerful body composed of the Republic's six major telecoms companies and a host of local equipment manufacturers, has consistently been pushing for a clearer plan for the country's 3G future. It wants each of the major mobile companies to be awarded one 3G licence each, with two for China Unicom which owns both GSM and CDMA networks.

The 3G story in China has been complicated by the emergence of the country's own home-grown standard - the so-called TD-SCDMA. The Association is pushing for at least one licence to be granted for this standard. According to figures from the Association, quoted on Telecomasia.net, it will cost in the region of US$24 billion to construct 3G networks across China.