Reports this week state that China Unicom is to begin trialling 3G WCDMA services in seven cities by the end of the year. According to Beijing Times, the operator plans to trial the networks in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Foshan, Liuzhou, Zhengzhou, Baoding and Wuxi from December 31. 100 base stations will reportedly be set up in each city. Other reports suggest that China Unicom will complete a rollout in major Chinese cities by the middle of next year, with medium-sized cities covered by the end of 2009.

China Unicom has previously stated that it will invest up to RMB100 billion (US$14.6 billion) building its 3G network over the next two years, adding that the network would be profitable two years after launch. It has also previously stated its intent to become the country’s largest 3G operator, overcoming the country’s current largest mobile operator, China Mobile. Commercial 3G licenses in China are expected to be awarded to China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom once the country’s industry restructuring is complete. Last week at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau SAR, China Unicom’s chairman and CEO, Chang Xiaobing, said, “the newly formed China Unicom will allow us to optimise investment, expand mobility into value-added services and continue development in 3G and expand international resources for marketing.”