The Motorola announcement avoided an explicit mention of 3G mobile equipment. Instead, the company said it was chosen by China Telecom to "a key to upgrade a portion of its nationwide network to include next-generation broadband data capability and advanced multimedia services."

The existing equipment that Motorola has been contracted to upgrade is based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000 1X, an older 2.5 mobile data technology that has long been available in China. The next generation of this technology, called CDMA2000 1X EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) is a 3G technology that offers faster data connections.

Motorola did not disclose the value of the China Telecom contract, but said it would be a "key" supplier of equipment for the network upgrade, which covers 42 cities in nine Chinese provinces.

"The equipment will be installed in early 2009 and is part of an overall larger project to upgrade China Telecom's entire nationwide CDMA network to next-generation capability," the company said.

That timeframe roughly matches a statement made on Friday by Li Yanzhong, China's minister of industry and information industry. Li said the 3G licenses, which have been delayed for many years, will be issued either this month or in January.