2013 communications industry: 4G advances in parallel with fixed networks

Saying goodbye to 2012 with a slight "grey" tone, we also ushered in a new year. This is a new beginning. For the communications industry, it also has more important significance.

Obviously, the continuing economic downturn and economic uncertainty in recovery will continue to constrain the rapid development of the communications industry. The development tone of “adjusting structure, controlling inflation, promoting transformation, and benefiting people’s livelihood” proposed by China during the 12th Five-Year Plan period is stable. The pursuit of progress has become the main idea for the development of the communications industry. Today, China has entered the third year of the development of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan". The development of this year is of utmost importance.

If 2011 and 2012 are to pave the way for the realization of the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" goals, then the development in 2013 will directly affect the process of achieving the follow-up goals. Regardless of the development of the communications industry in 2012 or the attitude of various parties, it is not difficult for us to look into some of the development factors of this year.

Industry Department 1. "Broadband China" strategy introduced

Informatization plays an important role in stimulating national economic growth, and broadband has become the key. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China included broadband development in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan. In 2012, China has vigorously promoted the development of broadband, and brewing a top-level design scheme with "broadband" as its main body. The strategic plan originally planned and implemented by the Broadband China Research Group was not released in 2012. Obviously, 2013 cannot be missed again.

At the National Conference on Industry and Informatization, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has clearly stated that in 2013, it will focus on building broadband infrastructure. Promote the implementation of the "Broadband China" strategy as soon as possible, implement the broadband China 2013 special action, accelerate the construction and transformation of optical fiber broadband, deepen the coverage of wireless broadband networks, implement broadband access standards, and strive to improve the user experience.

2. The introduction of private capital into the telecommunications pilot

In 2012, the "policies" for the entry of private capital into the telecommunications industry were loosened, and newcomers will be welcomed in the basic telecom business areas that have long been occupied by the three major telecommunications infrastructure operators. This year, the entry of private capital into the telecommunications industry will remain the focus of the communications industry. The policy is only one aspect, and the key lies in implementation.

Director-General Zhang Feng of the Department of Communication Development of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has made it clear that in 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will organize the implementation of private investment in the telecommunications pilot. The pilot program for mobile communication resale and access network business will be introduced as soon as possible, and the progress of the pilot project will be closely tracked. A number of non-governmental investment model enterprises and key projects will be introduced to demonstrate the leading effect.

3. Tri-network integration pilot bidirectional service

By the end of 2012, the pilot phase of the first phase of triple play has ended. Since 2013, it has entered the second phase of formal two-way access for broadcasting and telecommunications services. In 2012, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television have separately issued two-way business licenses to some pilot sites. This year's pace will accelerate and more pilots will be permitted.

In 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will initiate two-way entry permit application and approval for the second phase of the Tri-Network Integration pilot project, organize the implementation of the tri-network integration promotion phase work plan, and promote radio and television and telecommunications companies to innovate in technology, business, and cooperation models, and drive related technology research and development. And supporting industry development, strengthen the integration of business security assessment and supervision.

4. Mobile payment industrialization speed
In the development of mobile Internet, mobile payment is considered as one of the most important and wealthy business. In 2012, the three major operators have fully accelerated the pace of mobile payment development, and began to expand the pilot scale, remote payment, NFC near-field payment has become the focus.

In 2013, this process will continue and progress rapidly. In particular, as chip manufacturers and smart terminal manufacturers accelerate product launches, NFC-based near-field payment services, including mobile wallets and bus card payment services, will be rapidly promoted, and operators will further expand the scope of pilots to rapidly promote mobile services. Industrialization and large-scale payment.

Licensing system

5. 4G license issuing operators accelerate the pace of evolution

In the process of global carriers accelerating their evolution to 4G, China’s TD-LTE also achieved great progress in 2012. The division of the frequency band is ahead of the license, and the latter will be finalized this year. The Minister of Industry and Information Technology has made it clear in 2012 that 4G licenses will be issued within one year.

From the current stage, in terms of 4G development, China Mobile has been at the forefront of the three major domestic operators. This is mainly due to the lack of support for TD-SCDMA networks. Although 3G subscribers are not yet saturated, China Telecom and China Unicom still regard 3G as the key, but the issuance of licenses is approaching. The advantages of the two operators in 3G will be compressed, which will inevitably accelerate the pace of the two in 4G.

6. China Radio Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Fixed by Mobile Fixed License

The scale of China's broadband network infrastructure market is as large as 1.6 trillion yuan, and more and more companies are motivated to enter the fixed-line broadband market. In this battle, the most representative is China Mobile and China Radio and Television Network Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “China Radio and TV”) which was approved to be established on October 25, 2012.

According to Guoshun 184, in addition to the traditional broadcasting and television services, China Radio and TV will be allowed to operate telecommunication fixed-line services such as Internet access. This also confirms that it will obtain a fixed-line operation license and will only formally list it to China Radio and Television, which is also the focus of this year. China Mobile’s internal appeals for obtaining licenses are getting louder and louder, and applications have already been submitted. However, it is still difficult to determine whether it will be approved in 2013. On the one hand, broadband monopolies are widely mentioned. Introducing more competition is what the market wants to see. On the other hand, China Telecom and China Unicom do not want their entry, and their strong opposition will hinder the approval process. Finally, since the telecommunications reform, it hoped to reach a balance of power in the three countries. Once China Mobile enters the country, it will be even more difficult to achieve.

Technology evolution and network expansion 7.100G step into commercial scale

With the popularization of mobile Internet and smart terminals, the rapid development of emerging industries such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things is spawning the formation of massive data. Expansion is becoming an important task for operators' network construction. In 2012, the three major operators in China initiated the bidding and piloting of the collective bidding in 100G.

In 2013, massive data will further increase the network pressure of operators, and expansion is imperative. After the initial pilot, operators will accelerate 100G commercial speeds this year.

8. WiFi and small base stations assist in expanding hierarchical services

In the process of operator network expansion, the convenience and cost-effectiveness of network deployment will be considered. Small base stations and Wi-Fi will help mobile operators solve network coverage problems in densely populated areas of the city.

From the current point of view, operators have focused on WLANs and small base stations. As of 2012, the number of WLAN hotspots deployed by the three operators has exceeded one million. At the same time, operators have begun to consider refined deployments and provide grade services. This will also become an important point of view in 2013, through the level of service, to better achieve commercialization.