Four of Hong Kong’s mobile operators have successfully bid for a total of 50MHz of radio spectrum in the 2.5/2.6GHz band, according to the nation’s telecoms regulator the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA). The total amount raised from the auction stood at HK$1.54bn ($200m). The spectrum will enable the successful bidders to further develop 4G services in Hong Kong.

In a bid to encourage direct foreign investment into the country, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued a draft proposal to allow mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to set up in the market.

The world’s largest mobile operator, China Mobile, has reported first half net profit of $9.76bn on operating revenues of $41.86bn. But in a statement the firm said that competition in the Chinese market – from peers as well as internet players – is intensifying. The growth potential in “traditional telecoms services” is shrinking in China, it said.

Let’s imagine you are a cashed-up investor looking to park your money someplace you can get a decent return and during your daily reading you read about a minor broadband operator that says it will quintuple its current market share over the next three years and reach 50 million subscribers by end-2015.

Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) will extend its TD-LTE technology to support the 1.9GHz frequency bands, in a move that will enable operators to use existing 1.9GHz spectrum to provide LTE services. The vendor has now upgraded its Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station to support 1.9GHz TD-LTE and will be conducting trials of its capabilities in China. The offering is expected to be commercially available by Q4 2012.

Spreadtrum, a Chinese fabless semiconductor designer has unveiled its first LTE enabled design. The SC9610 is a baseband modem based on TD-LTE, set to become the predominant LTE technology in China.

ZTE’s Blade touch-screen handset has racked up sales in excess of two million, making it one of the best-selling smartphones globally. The device, which was first sold in the UK in 2010 under the brand “San Francisco” by carrier Orange, is sold in 30 regions, with ZTE saying it has “successfully penetrated Japan and Finland, the home markets of major ZTE competitors.” The uptick in sales for the Chinese manufacturer comes on the back of its announcement of projected sales of 80 million devices this year, up from 60 million in 2010.

Altair Semiconductor, a developer of LTE chipsets, has shown off its TD-LTE chipset running at up to 50Mbps on the downlink, and 18Mbps on the uplink. The demonstration was made to China Mobile executives at a Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) Alliance board meeting using an AsiaTelco manufactured USB dongle.

When 24 of the telecoms world’s biggest players announced the formation of the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) at the Mobile World Congress in February 2010, it’s fair to say the pundits’ response was overwhelmingly sceptical. Peters Suh, WAC CEO, tells Telecoms.com such scepticism was misplaced.