China plans to submit home-grown fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology standards to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) between 2008 and 2009, according to Wen Ku, director of the Department of Science & Technology at the Ministry and Information Industry.

The 4G technology will enable people to check email and download films and music through mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) at much faster speed compared with the latest 3G technology.

The ITU announced earlier that it will solicit 4G technology standards from countries all over the world from next year, and that the final technology will be put to commercial use around 2010.

China previously developed a 3G technology of its own, TD-SCDMA, but has not yet issued any licenses to operators because of repeated government delays.

The country currently has already formed an improved TD-SCDMA industry chain, including system, terminal, chip, software and instruments, Wen told reporters at an industry forum here.

He said some advanced services, including wireless streaming media and wireless broadband services, are under preparation based on the current TD-SCDMA network trial in 10 Chinese cities.

Besides that, China has also completed tests on two other foreign-developed 3G standards -- WCDMA and CDMA 2000, he said.

But he declined to say when trial networks for the two technologies will be established.