The development of TD-SCDMA 3G to TD-LTE-advanced 4G from 1998 to 2013

TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE-Advanced are two global TDD standards adopted by ITU for the Third Generation and the Fourth Generation of mobile communication. TD-LTE, the evolution of TD-SCDMA, is accepted by more and more operators and manufactures leading to global deployment in the world. As the global mobile communication standards initially promoted by China, a developing country, TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE always attract much curiosity and interest. This article reviews the standardization and development history from TD-SCDMA 3G to TD-LTE-Advanced 4G in the period 1998 to 2013. It is indicated that TD-SCDMA opened a sustainable utilization era of TDD technology in 3G and 4G. It is believed that TDD will play a more important role in 5G. Key factors promoting the successful progress of standardization and commercialization are analyzed.