Reuters reports today that China, where 3G is not yet largely available, has announced the launch of the "world's first fourth-generation standard."

According to the China Daily, a group of ten "leading domestic institutions" collectively called the "FuTURE Project" (for Future Technology for Universal Radio Environment) rolled out 4G in Shanghai on Sunday the 28th.

"China aims to hold field tests for the 4G system -- whose rollout has cost 150 million yuan ($19.3 million) and will allow data transmission at up to 100 megabytes per second, several times faster than current technology -- and put it into trial commercial use up until 2010," the article states.

More here from the Sydney Morning Herald ... here from iTWire... and here from Gizmodo.