China Mobile on Tuesday said it will sign up Finnish handset maker Nokia for deployment of dual band handsets that are attuned with both GSM and the native TD-SCDMA networks, for the next year.

The company is seeking to forge similar deals with handset vendors Motorola and Sony-Ericsson, said the Chairman Wang Jianzhou.

The supply of dual band handsets will collide with the company’s plan of beefing up capital expenditure in a bid to enhance coverage in rural areas.