2011: Year of the Unicom 2011：联通的好运年

If 2010 was the year of China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHT) and every year before that belonged to China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), then 2011 could finally be shaping up as the year of China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), the perennial underperformer of China’s telecoms world. The latest monthly 3G data is out and continues to show Unicom winning steady share from China Mobile in the 3G space. (English article). Interestingly, Unicom added nearly twice as many 3G users in February as new users for its older 2G GSM service, showing this company clearly knows where its future lies and is playing to its strength in the form of its superior 3G technology. At the same time, there’s an interesting report coming out of the Chinese media saying Unicom has finished a major management overhaul, ending two years of painful restructuring after its merger with the former China Netcom, leaving it with a younger, more vibrant management team. (Chinese article). With all these things going in its favor, Unicom is looking increasingly like a leader in 2011.

Bottom line: Unicom is making all the right moves, positioning itself to become China’s best performing telco in 2011

如果说2010年是中国电信<0728.HK><CHT.N>的好运年，那麽在2011年，风水似乎终於转向了中国电信市场的2011千年老二:联通<0762.HK><CHU.N>。最近的月度3G数据出炉，显示联通继续稳步夺取中国移动在3G市场的份额。有意思的是，联通在2月份新增3G用户数量几乎是其新增2G用户数的两倍，这说明联通深谙电信业的未来走向，并且通过3G技术扩大自己的优势。与此同时，中国媒体报导联通完成了一次重大内部管理架构改革，新的管理团队更加年轻，更有活力。考虑上述因素，联通看似将成为2011年的赢家。

一句话：联通屡出妙棋，有望在2011年成为中国表现最佳的电信公司。