The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country's largest research institution, has launched its mobile communications research center (MCR) in Shanghai to improve the country's research and development capability in mobile communications technology.
Zheng Xiaojun, director of the center, said the center launched on Thursday would focus on improving the competitiveness of the country's mobile communications products through upgrading its core technology.
Located in Zhangjiang High-tech Zone in Pudong District, the center has designed 50 different concept mobile phones capable of fingerprint recognition, and business card scanning.
China's mobile phone producers, which are weak in research and development capability, have to pay about 10 billion yuan (US$1.21 billion) in commission to overseas proprietors of patent rights for core mobile communications technology, said Zheng.
The center was set up by the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which developed the country's high-performance computers, servers and other electronic products.
China's biggest computer giant Lenovo Group, previously known as Legend Group, was a spin-off of the institute.
(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2003)
