China on Monday announced that it has developed the world's first 3-G state-of-the-art mobile phone set, which works on Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA).

TD-SCDMA is the technological standard formulated by China and approved by the International Telecommunications Union of the United Nations as one of the three standards for 3-G mobile phones, said Professor Zhen Jianhong, head of a telecom research organisation.

Zhen said the phone has been developed under a project sponsored by the Chongqing Institute of Posts and Telecommunications and the equipment was developed independently with all the intellectual property rights, Xinhua news agency reported.

Compared with GSM, TDMA digital mobile phones, or 2-G mobile phones, and their predecessor analogue mobile phones, the 3-G phones are more powerful.

The 3-G mobile phone is widely considered as the future of mobile telecommunications, capable of providing such services as Internet browsing, tele-conferencing, and electronic commerce.

Chinese telecommunications giant Datang has set up an experimental network for TD-SCDMA mobile phones in Jiangbei district in Chongqing, southwest China.

The developers are seeking cooperation with domestic mobile phone producers and operators to commercialise the product.