Restructure vital to China telecoms market

China must restructure its telecoms industries to get the best from upcoming 3G mobile technology, according to industry analyst Research and Markets. 

The firm's 2006 Asia Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in China report said that China's telecoms market "presents many contradictions". 

"Telecoms in China can be characterised by creativity and daring one minute, and by caution and dithering the next," the report said. "It is often out of step with other parts of the world."

Research and Markets acknowledged the momentum behind growth in the region and its potential.

But the Chinese government has been slow to act on issues such as the awarding of 3G mobile licences and the restructuring of the country's major telecoms operators.

The adoption of a third 3G platform, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access, is also seen as controversial, given that two other 3G standards already exist.