Apple, LG, ZTE and China Mobile are collaborating to deliver smartphones on a new network implement, TD-LTE, a variant of the emerging superfast internet infrastructure.

TD-LTE, according to Mashable, also means relatively fast wireless broadband access. It differs only with the regular LTE on frequency usage - the data reception and transmission occur in a single channel.

It is a standard that China Mobile will embrace starting the second half of 2013 and device manufacturers are rushing to capitalise on the prospect of serving an estimated 700 million subscribers that rising network will serve.

It appears too that China Mobile, the biggest telco in the world in terms of client numbers, will have a monopoly of the TD-LTE network in China, per reports by FierceBroadbandWirelss.com.

Beijing, the report said, will allow China Mobile sole operation of the network technology for a number of years before issuing licenses to other players.

The development prompted a rush of mobile phone makers trying to enter into an agreement with China Mobile, fully aware of the possible windfall.

Chinese news agency Xinhua has indicated that ZTE will provide a 4.5-inch dual-core phablet for initial TD-LTE customers of China Mobile in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangdong.

To challenge the home-grown firm is South Korea's LG, which showcased a new version of the Optimus G that is able to connect on TD-LTE networks, which are expected to be built too in Japan.

"TD-LTE has the potential to cover 2.7 billion people in Asia alone and today's demonstration proves that this technology is ready for consumers," LG said in a statement.

The Optimus G displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was modified for the demo but a version of the smartphone plus a host of other handset models will be released for the purpose of forging a close partnership with China Mobile, LG said.

"LG is committed to offering a range of TD-LTE smartphones based on our unrivalled leadership in 4G LTE technologies," the company added.

According to Engadget, LG will likely issue TD-LTE versions of the following Optimus models for use of China Mobile subscribers: the Optimus F7, F5, L7II and L5II.

Apple is also expected to jump in with the likely introduction of a budget iPhone version to China by June or July this year, reports said.