A rapidly evolving pilot program that should see at least 6 virtual network operators (VNOs) enter China’s telecoms space this year has everyone chattering about who the first operators might be, with Internet leader Tencent (HKEx: 700) mentioned as one of the most likely candidates. Tencent hasn’t really commented on its intent, though it’s certainly an intriguing possibility, especially against the backdrop of the company’s recent high-profile spat with leading mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). I’ll take a look more closely at this element shortly, but first let’s take a step back and check out the latest big-picture news involving the biggest opening in years for China’s sensitive telecoms sector.
Tag Archives: China Telecom
Apple’s Cook Meets China Regulators 苹果CEO库克会见中国工信部部长
It may be cold and wintry in Beijing as the Year of the Snake approaches, but that isn’t stopping some of the world’s top high-tech CEOs from passing through the Chinese capital in pursuit of their own varied agendas. First Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt made a high-profile stop in Beijing en route to a visit to North Korea, and now we’re learning that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has also come calling on the nation’s capital this week. But whereas Schmidt’s visit seemed a bit whimsical to me, Cook’s trip looks much more practical, including an all-important stop at the nation’s telecoms regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). (Chinese article)
Apple’s Cook Meets China Regulators
It may be cold and wintry in Beijing as the Year of the Snake approaches, but that isn’t stopping some of the world’s top high-tech CEOs from passing through the Chinese capital in pursuit of their own varied agendas. First Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt made a high-profile stop in Beijing en route to a visit to North Korea, and now we’re learning that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has also come calling on the nation’s capital this week. But whereas Schmidt’s visit seemed a bit whimsical to me, Cook’s trip looks much more practical, including an all-important stop at the nation’s telecoms regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). (Chinese article)
News Digest: January 4 报摘:2013年1月4日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 4. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Lenovo (HKEx: 992), EMC (NYSE: EMC) Create Network Attached Storage JV (Businesswire)
- Top 10 Chinese Solar Panel Makers Have Up To 110 Bln Yuan in Debut (Chinese article)
- LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) Announces Purchase Agreement for LDK Anhui (PRNewswire)
- SouFun (NYSE: SFUN) Pays $127 Mln For Property, To Become New Shanghai HQ (PRNewswire)
- China Telecom (HKEx: 728) Completes Purchase of CDMA Networks From Parent (Chinese article)
China Mobile Muscles Tencent Into Talks 中国移动与腾讯进行营收共享协议谈判
Just a couple of weeks after telecoms heavyweight China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) complained that Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) was stealing its text messaging business, we’re getting word that the 2 companies may have started talks for a revenue sharing agreement to resolve the dispute. China Mobile’s discontent involves Tencent’s popular mobile instant messaging service WeChat, better known by its Chinese name Weixin, which has soared to prominence in the last 2 years and recently passed the 300 million registered user mark. (previous post) The service allows people to send text messages back and forth over the Internet, letting them circumvent traditional text messaging that is one of the biggest revenue sources for China Mobile and the nation’s other 2 big telcos.
Virtual Networks Coming in 2013 虚拟运营商或于明年进入中国电信市场
The Chinese media have been buzzing these last few days with word that the telecoms regulator will soon roll out a highly anticipated plan to allow virtual network operators (VNOs) into China in 2013, finally breaking the monopoly on telecoms services held by the nation’s 3 major telcos. Such a move could suddenly open the door for homegrown companies like Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) to offer specialized services over their own privately branded virtual networks, but would also open the door for bigger global names like France Telecom (Paris: FTE) and AT&T (NYSE: T) to enter the long-closed market.
Qualcomm Charges China Mobile TD 高通TD芯片面世将照亮中移动业务前景
This may look like something only a techie can appreciate, but the recent start of production by leading global chipmaker Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) for cellphone chips using a homegrown Chinese technology looks set to provide a major boost to dominant Chinese telco China Mobile (HKEx; 941; NYSE: CHL). This latest development comes as big and important news for TD, the homegrown technology being used by China Mobile in its 3G and 4G networks.
Apple Tarnished on Late iPhone Arrival iPhone 5姗姗来迟 苹果在华形象蒙尘
Note: Since first writing this posting, Apple has announced that it sold more than 2 million iPhone 5s in the 3 days after the product’s launch. (company announcement) The announcement appears aimed at quieting negative reports of a weak product launch, though some Chinese media are saying many of the sales may have gone to vendors who plan to re-sell the phones. The original article is below.
Chinese media are blaming it on the weather, but no matter how you look at it the launch for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone 5 in China was pretty much a flop. I tend to blame the disappointing launch last Friday on a number of other factors, most notably ineptitude from China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) that probably cost them millions of yuan in lost sales. At the end of the day, perhaps half the people who buy this kind of trendy product do so as much based on hype than any other factor, since there are many other phones in the market with very similar functionality to the iPhone. But its hard to sustain hype for 3 months, which is how long it took Unicom and China Telecom to get permission to formally launch the iPhone after the product’s high profile global launch.
China Mobile on Services Steroids 中国移动重拳出击
After praising China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) just last week for finally returning its focus to the present under a new top management team installed earlier this year, I feel compelled to update my previous view by expressing a slight concern at a sudden flurry of new initiatives from the company. In the last 24 hours alone, I’ve read reports of at least 3 new moves by China’s largest mobile carrier all aimed at tapping the growing market for high-speed telecoms services.
China Mobile Returns to the Present 中国移动聚焦当下
After months of maintaining a relatively low profile, China Mobile’s (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) recently named new President Li Yue is finally making a splash in the headlines with some interesting strategic announcements that look like one of his first breaks with former longtime Chairman Wang Jianzhou. The 2 biggest new moves will see China Mobile develop its own brand of cellphones, and also establish an Internet company. I personally don’t find either of those 2 moves extremely exciting, though both could certainly have implications for many of China’s smartphone makers and Internet companies.
Unicom, China Telecom in iPhone Race 联通与电信争夺大陆iPhone 5首发
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.