Chinese technology standards
Interesting article about the development of technology in China and the question regarding their proprietary standards. From the
Canadian CNews site:
bq. China seeks to develop its own technology standards
DVD? China's trying to do it one better -- with a technology called EVD.
bq. CDMA? The digital cell phone standard is so 2003, the Chinese say. Give TD-SCDMA a try instead.
bq. Intel Corp.'s Centrino and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows? If you're doing business with Beijing, better bone up on WAPI and Red Flag Linux, too.
The reasons for this:
One:
bq. This trend goes beyond commercial and security concerns. Cultural pride is at stake: A once-great China humbled by Western powers in the 19th century doesn't want to be undercut again.
Two:
bq. In some cases, China is tired of paying foreign patent fees for products made and sold domestically -- such as with DVD players, for which Chinese firms must pay $4.50 per machine to the six Japanese companies that developed the underlying DVD technology.
And the downside to this:
bq. "Nationalism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," Clark said. "You wave the flag if you need financial assistance, because maybe you're not able to compete."
bq. For one thing, a homegrown format like EVD would become useless if few movies are released for it.
bq. Demand in China has been limited so far. Even the People's Daily newspaper, mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, has reported on its Web site that Chinese consumers are frustrated that their new EVD players can't play DVDs.
bq. As for shunning CDMA, not only is China already behind on its own version, but it risks isolating itself -- and falling behind the rest of the world. For example, the effort might hurt Chinese companies trying to export cell phones.
This will be interesting to watch over the next ten years or so...
For an excellent (technical) description of CDMA and why it blows the socks off GSM, check
this site out...
Posted by DaveH at May 25, 2004 9:40 AM