China’s number two operator, China Unicom, has received Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) approval to do trials of hybrid Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE)/Frequency Division (FD)-LTE networks, in 16 cities, reports Telegeography.com, citing a press release, and explaining that the hybrid platform cities will be Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi’an, Changsha, Jinan, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Harbin, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Shijiazhuang.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of a similar one from China Telecom, which has gotten approval to test FD-LTE technology. Both operators have their eyes on the FD standard as the main technology for 4G but have been unable so far to compete with market leader China Mobile, which has fully embraced the home-grown TD-LTE standard preferred by MIIT. The TD-LTE licenses were handed out, in late 2013, and full FD-LTE concessions are not expected until early 2015.