More than 2 months after Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) launched its latest iPhone, China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) are locked in a race to see who can offer the product first in China, in what looks more like a sad comedy of ineptitude than anything else. I usually save most of my criticism in the telecoms space for Unicom, the nation’s second largest mobile carrier that has spent most of the last 2 years more focused on a series of non-stop management reshuffles rather than any attempts to do real business. But this time I also have to save some criticism for China Telecom, China’s smallest mobile carrier, which also has looked equally inept in this latest iPhone launch.
Tag Archives: China Mobile
SAP Eyes Dormant Int’l Board 思爱普欲登陆中国国际版
I was amused to read a new report saying that German business software giant SAP (Frankfurt: SAP) may list its shares on China’s planned International Board in Shanghai, since it’s been quite a while since I’ve read any reports like this, which were still quite common as recently as 2010. If I were an optimist, I would say these new reports might indicate a launch is coming in the first half of next year for the long-planned International Board, which would allow offshore companies to raise funds through IPOs in China. But instead, these latest reports, which appear to have originated offshore, are probably just a public relations exercise by SAP, which probably just wants to remind everyone of its commitment to China.
Unicom Network Buy: Finally Some Strategy 联通向母公司收购固网资产
No one is writing very much about China Unicom’s (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) newly announced plan to buy fixed-line networking assets from its parent, perhaps because people have lost all interest in this laggard telco that has been mired in management disorder for much of the last 2 years. Despite my own negative feelings about the company’s recent performance, I’m going to go ahead and actually praise Unicom for the move, as it finally looks like the company is doing something that has a small hint of being driven by a broader corporate strategy — something we haven’t seen for quite a while.
China Mobile 3G Stable, Weighs Fetion Move 中国电信三巨头3G市场份额企稳
The rapidly changing mobile landscape is creating some interesting challenges for China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), which is finally seeing its 3G market share stabilize as it reportedly may be weighing a bid to buy out the partner for its fading Fetion mobile messaging service. The 3G news is clearly the more important in this pair of news bits, and probably reflects a combination of factors that should bode well for China Mobile as Beijing gets set to issue new 4G licenses. Meanwhile, the latter rumors involving Fetion is probably more wishful thinking from Fetion’s current owners, who would like to get some money for their instant messaging platform which is rapidly being overtaken by newer smartphone applications, most notably Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) WeChat.
News Digest: November 21 报摘： 2012年11月21日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 21. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- China Mobile (HKEx: 941) to Buy Fetion from Ultrapower (Shenzhen: 300002) – Source (English article)
- CNOOC (HKEx: 883) Accepts New Canadian Terms to Win Nexen Deal Nod: Report (English article)
- Agricultural Bank of China (HKEx: 1288) Approved For Jiahe Insurance Investment (HKEx announcement)
- Phoenix New Media (NYSE: FENG) Reports Q3 Unaudited Financial Results (PRNewswire)
- Toys“R”Us Launches Dedicated Web Store in China (Businesswire)
China Mobile Loses Cable War 中国移动无缘有线商机
The news wires are buzzing today with word that wireless titan China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) appears to have lost a major battle to quickly become a major player in the fixed-line broadband space by purchasing a stake in a new national cable TV operator now being formed. If the reports are true, this development certainly wouldn’t surprise me since regulators in Beijing are probably quickly tiring of listing to the constant complaints coming from China Mobile, which believes it was treated unfairly in the country’s awarding of 3G wireless licenses 3 years ago.
News Digest: November 16 报摘： 2012年11月16日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 16. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- China PICC In Talks With AIG (NYSE: AIG) As Buyer For $4 Bln HK IPO (English article)
- Jingdong Mall Posts 2.5 Bln Yuan in Sales For 3 Days Around Nov 11 Singles Day (Chinese article)
- NetEase Reports Q3 Unaudited Financial Results (PRNewswire)
- National Cable Operator To Be Formed Without China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Capital (Chinese article)
- Dangdang Announces Q3 Results (PRNewswire)
- Latest calendar for Q3 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
China Telecom Jumps Into 4G Race 中国电信加入4G争夺战
With signs growing by the day that China will issue 4G licenses quite soon, perhaps by March next year, the nation’s second and third largest carriers are sensing a sudden urgency to get ready for the roll-out and avoid a possible booby prize that either could easily receive. The 2 telcos I’m talking about of course are China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) and China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), both of which have suddenly begun trialing 4G technology in anticipation of the imminent issue of 4G licenses.
News Digest: November 8 报摘： 2012年11月8日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 8. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- US Trade Panel Approves 5-Year Duties on China Solar Products (English article)
- Sohu’s (Nasdaq: SOHU) Sogou to Go Public As Soon as Next Year – Source (Chinese article)
- China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Launches Independent Fixed-Line Broadband Services (English article)
- 7 Days Group (NYSE: SVN) Announces Unaudited 2012 Q3 Financial Results (PRNewswire)
- Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to Exclude China From MSN Messenger Phase-Out Next Year (Chinese article)
- Latest calendar for Q3 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Telecoms: 4G and IPTV in, Cisco Out 中国电信行业：4G与IPTV推进 思科受阻
The headlines are buzzing with news bits from each of the country’s 3 major telcos, with high-speed services taking big steps forward even as US telecoms equipment powerhouse Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) could be bracing for a Chinese winter. In the former group of headlines, media are reporting that China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) has made a significant step into 4G with plans to expand its trial TD-LTE network into China’s interior, while China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE CHA) has just won an important new license to offer TV and other video and data services over its fixed-line broadband network. Meantime, China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) is also making headlines with reports that the company is replacing Cisco-supplied equipment from some of its key network due to security concerns.
iPad Mini: Another China Snub; iPad Mini首发再次不含中国大陆
I’m probably beginning to sound a bit redundant by writing about Apple’s (Nasdaq: APPL) latest China snub, but it does seem worth noting that yet another major new product from the world’s biggest tech company won’t be coming to Chinese consumers anytime soon. Meantime, Chinese media are noting that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is seeking to exploit this latest Apple snub by selecting China as one of the launch markets for its new tablet PC. Unfortunately for Microsoft, I don’t think Chinese consumers will really care very much.
