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Tag Archives: China Mobile
China Mobile latest Business & Financial news from Doug Young, the Expert on Chinese Companies, (former Journalist and Chief editor at Reuters in Asia)
Bottom line: The naming of a technocrat as chairman of China Telecom ends speculation of an industry shake-up, and indicates China’s big 3 telcos will continue as big state-owned companies that lag their global peers.
Beijing continues old ways with new China Telecom chief
It’s been quite a few months since I last wrote about China’s 3 big telcos, so the naming of a new chairman of China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) seems like a good chance to revisit this lifeless trio that were a hot topic last year due to rumors of an industry shakeup. The naming of a new technocrat as head of the carrier implies that it’s business-as-usual at China Telecom and for the broader trio of state-run caarriers, and that a shake-up that many of us were hoping for isn’t coming.
The new chairman, Yang Jie, will assume the helm of China Telecom 4 months after his predecessor, Chang Xiaobing, abruptly stepped down last year due to a corruption probe against him. Chang himself was previously chairman of China Telecom rival China Unicom (HKEx: 763; NYSE: CHU), but switched places with China Telecom’s chief Wang Xiaochu in the middle of last year in a characteristic bureaucratic reshuffling by Beijing. Read Full Post…
This week’s Street View takes us to the offices of one Shanghai’s hottest Internet companies, though take-out delivery superstar Ele.me probably would have preferred to avoid the spotlight on this year’s global Consumer Rights Day that fell on March 15. But anyone who missed that story, which saw Ele.me blasted for using unlicensed restaurants, needn’t worry about accidentally missing this particular day designed to draw attention to a specific cause.
That’s because I’ve recently become aware of Shanghai’s fondness for commemorating many of the growing number of global days designed to draw attention to just about any cause imaginable. While there’s certainly no harm in using such events to raising awareness of things like environmental protection, it does seem like Shanghai’s growing obsession with these promotional days is getting slightly out of hand and may need to become a little more selective. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: WeChat’s growth will continue to fuel strong revenue gains for Tencent but could also create a drag on profits, while China Mobile’s profits are likely to be flat as savings from slower infrastructure spending are offset by big 4G promotions.
Transactions boom on WeChat
High-tech leaders Tencent (HKEx: 700) and China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHA) are providing a nice contrast with their latest earnings reports, pitting one of China’s most innovative private companies against one of its biggest state-run laggards. The results cast a painful spotlight on China Mobile, China’s largest mobile carrier, whose profits sagged in the fourth quarter as it lost business to more nimble companies like Tencent. Meantime, Tencent’s profits and revenue posted healthy gains, as it provided data to generate excitement about its fast-growing but money-losing WeChat social networking service.
Shares of both companies reacted much as one would expect, continuing recent trends. China Mobile shares dipped 2.1 percent after its results came out, and are down about 15 percent over the last year. Tencent’s results came out after the market closed, but I expect they will rally in the new trading day. Over the last year they are up 5 percent, which is quite impressive when one considers the main Shanghai index is down 19 percent during that time. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on March 18. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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The following press releases and news reports about China companies were carried on March 15. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Bottom line: Tencent would be wise to roll back a newly announced money-transferring fee on WeChat following state-media criticism, which could indicate a tougher stance by Beijing due to the platform’s increasingly dominant position.
Xinhua calls WeChat a catfish
It’s been quite a while since the last tussle between China’s influential central media and its vibrant private sector, so I was amused to read of a new flare-up in that regard after Tencent(HKEx: 700) said it would start charging fees for a money-transferring service on its popular WeChat platform. This looming flare-up has seen the state-run Xinhua news agency, often considered the voice of Beijing, criticize WeChat’s move as “excessive goose plucking”, which is quite a vivid description and certainly not too complimentary.
This particular assault is somewhat noteworthy, as it hearkens back to another similarly high-profile spat involving Tencent and WeChat 3 years ago. That tussle came as WeChat was beginning its meteoric rise, and saw leading telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) accuse the service of stealing its traditional SMS text messaging service. Tencent insisted at that time that WeChat would always remain free, defying China Mobile pressure to charge for the service and then divide the fees between the 2 sides. (previous post) Read Full Post…
Bottom line: A corruption probe against the head of Unicom could be the latest signal that Beijing plans to merge the company with China Telecom in the next 2 years to create a serious rival to China Mobile.
Corruption probe nets Unicom chief
China’s 2-year-old corruption crackdown has finally made the inevitable move into the nation’s telecoms sector, with word that the newly named head of Chinia Unicom(HKEx: 763; NYSE: CHU) is being probed for corruption. But while many are speculating that Chang Xiaobing is just the latest victim in the anti-corruption campaign, the timing of his downfall could also be the newest signal of a coming overhaul for China’s big state-run 3 telcos.
Industry watchers will recall that Chang assumed his position at the head of Unicom just 4 months ago, in a slightly bizarre but also somewhat typical case that saw him swap positions with the then-head of Unicom who is now the chief of rival China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA). (previous post) That led to buzz that the telecoms regulator might be preparing the consolidate Unicom and China Telecom into a single company, a move that would have reduced the current field of 3 major telcos to just 2. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 16. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Disney (NYSE: DIS), Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) Team to Stream Films to Chinese Viewers (English article)
Huawei Says 2015 Sales to Top $60 Bln, up More Than 29 Pct from 2014 (Chinese article)
China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Expects to Break 500 Mln 4G Users by End 2016 (English article)
Bottom line: Unicom and China Telecom are likely to strike a major new network sharing agreement next year, and could ultimately merge in 2017 if several pilot programs to liberalize China’s telecoms services market gain momentum.
Unicom studies resource sharing
Wireless carrier Unicom (HKEx: 763; NYSE: CHU) is giving the clearest signal yet of a coming shakeup in China’s telecoms space, with disclosure that it’s exploring a potential pooling of infrastructure resources with other companies. Word of the move comes in a bigger announcement from Unicom trumpeting the launch of its new 4G+ service, as it plays catch-up to archrival China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), which has been offering 4G service for nearly 2 years now.
Industry watchers are more likely to focus on Unicom’s network-sharing part of the announcement, which comes towards the end of the carrier’s brief new stock exchange filing. That’s because the disclosure marks the latest signal of a looming reorganization for China’s 3 state-run telcos, following rumors that began in the summer after a leadership shuffle within the trio. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 28-30. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Mobile (HKEx: 941) in $5 Bln Deal to Consolidate TieTong Assets (English article)
Oddo Counters Fosun (HKEx: 565) with 760 Mln Euro Offer for BHF Kleinwort Benson (English article)
Alibaba-backed (NYSE: BABA) Evergrande Soccer Team to Raise Over $400 Mln (English article)
P2P Lending Site Lufax to List on HK Stock Exchange in 2016 – Source (English article)
58.com (NYSE: WUBA) Hopes to Get Financial Services License in 2 Year – CEO (Chinese article)
Bottom line: A plan to pool 4G network resources between Unicom and China Telecom could be a cost saving move, but could also be the latest signal that the regulator may ultimately merge the pair.
New signs of Unicom, China Telecom merger
China’s 2 smaller telcos are reportedly studying a plan to pool their 4G networks, in the latest sign that a major industry overhaul could be coming that would see the merger of Unicom(HKEx: 763; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom(HKEx: 762; NYSE: 728). It’s hard to say what’s happening behind the scenes in China’s opaque telecoms sector, since any plans for such a merger are probably only known to regulators at the secretive Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
A high-ranking MIIT official said recently that he was unaware of plans for such a merger, indicating that nothing was imminent. But a growing number of signs are pointing to such a plan, though the cautious MIIT appears to be taking a very slow approach whose end goal wouldn’t necessarily be an outright merger but could instead also include a complex network-sharing arrangement. Read Full Post…
