France Telecom Beijing R&D Co., Ltd. recently joined the TD-SCDMA Forum to become the first foreign telecom in the China-developed 3G standard camp, said sources with the Forum Thursday.

Analysts said the move by France telecom, the second largest mobile operator in Europe, indicates that overseas operators have begun to keep a close eye on TD-SCDMA, a new third generation (3G) mobile communication technology developed by Chinese companies.

The new members will help improve TD-SCDMA technology, push forward its commercialization and promote international cooperation on the technology, said Wang Jing, secretary general of the Forum.

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