More than 3 years after receiving the booby prize when China awarded its 3G mobile licenses, China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) is still sulking about being forced to build a network based on a problem-plagued homegrown Chinese technology and now wants one of its rivals to share the misery. That’s my broader interpretation of the latest reports that say China’s dominant mobile carrier is lobbying hard for the industry regulator to force one of its 2 rivals to build a future 4G network based on the problematic technology, known as TD. (English article; Chinese article)
Tag Archives: China Unicom
Smartphones Surge As Apple Support Fades 中国国产智能手机崛起 运营商或减少iPhone补贴
There are a couple of interesting reports out today from the smartphone space, highlighting the rapid rise of these feature-packed phones with the growing availability of affordable, high-quality models supplied by newcomers like ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063), Huawei and Xiaomi. Those increasingly popular models, many selling for 2,000 yuan or less, could quickly pose a major challenge to high-end specialists like Samsung (Seoul: 005930) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), amid early signs that Chinese mobile carriers are looking to cut back their generous subsidies for these more expensive models.
China Eyes Mobile Internet Investment 中国或将开放移动互联网市场
New signals coming from Beijing indicate the mobile Internet could be the first area of China’s telecoms sector to open to foreign investment, following years of an informal ban on outside investment in the sensitive space. The new signs, coming from the telecoms regulator, would be consistent with recent moves over the past year that have seen Beijing officially approve new China-based cloud computing ventures backed by US technology giants IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT), both of which have an Internet focus.
China Mobile: Set for 3G Blitz? 中国移动将发起3G攻势？
I’ll end out this peak week of second-quarter earnings season with a couple of telecoms items, starting with comments from dominant wireless carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) that indicate it may finally be preparing for a much-needed offensive to breathe new life into its flagging 3G network. While China Mobile struggles under its own massive weight, separate news bites indicate the up-and-coming Xioami, a maker of low-cost, high performance smartphones, may be running into its first troubles after a strong debut for its first product last summer.
China Mobile Tie-Ups: Apple Near, Cable Far 中国移动可能很快与苹果合作 推出固网宽带业务尚需时日
Just a day after I wrote about the latest mixed signals coming from China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), we’re getting still more mixed messages from China’s largest wireless telco, including an exciting one that indicates a highly anticipated new tie-up with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) could come soon. While the Apple tie-up would be highly welcome, another unrelated development appears to indicate that a deal that would have seen China Mobile link up with China’s new national cable TV operator may fail to materialize.
New Mixed Signals from China Mobile, Unicom 中移动和联通释放复杂信号
Wireless leader China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) may have new leaders, but they seem to be following the company’s previous tradition of sending mixed signals with new aggressive expansion plans for its trial 4G network as it continues to neglect its current 3G system. The mixed signal syndrome seems also to have spread to rival China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), China’s second largest mobile carrier, which is reportedly in talks with Korea’s Samsung (Seoul: 005930) to launch its first tablet PC, giving the cold shoulder to longtime partner Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), maker of the more popular iPad. These latest news bits reflect the broader reality that China’s telecoms market is in a bit of a state of turmoil, as companies look for advantage following a major government-led industry reshuffle more than 2 years ago.
News Digest: August 4-6, 2012 报摘： 2012年8月4-6日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 3. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Xiaomi to Release 2nd Generation Smartphone on August 16 – Sources (Chinese article)
- China Telecom (HKEx: 728) to Buy Parent’s 3G Assets for Over $19 Bln: Sources (English article)
- Youku (NYSE: YOKU), Tudou to Form Group Company Post-Merger (Chinese article)
- Telefonica Completes Sale of Half of China Unicom (HKEx: 762) Stake (HKEx announcement)
- Endgame Near in Sinopec (HKEx: 386), ENN $2.2 Bln China Gas (HKEx: 384) Bid (English article)
- Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Telcos: China Mobile Slips, Unicom Rises 电信业半年回顾：中国移动滑落 联通顺势崛起
As we reach this year’s halfway point and companies start reporting their mid-year results, I wanted to take a quick look at China’s telecoms landscape and some of the major highlights over the first half of the year, including a recent surge by China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), the country’s second largest mobile carrier. China’s 3 telcos, Unicom, China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA), all released their June subscriber totals late last week, revealing some subtle but interesting changes from the beginning of the year as the trio look to develop third-generation (3G) mobile services that are the wave of the future.
Cable Consolidation Gets Subsidy Lift 中国政府为有线电视网络升级提供补贴
Beijing, determined to consolidate the nation’s fragmented cable TV industry by creating a single national operator, is promoting its plan with a new round of subsidies, a move that could ultimately not only benefit not only the new operator but also leading wireless telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). The fact that China Mobile could benefit from this new subsidy plan seems somewhat ironic, since China Mobile is already one of China’s richest state-run companies, and thus it has little or no need for this kind of cash subsidies from Beijing.
China Accelerates Telecoms Opening 中国加速电信业开放
After years of protectionism that effectively locked out private investment from the sensitive telecoms sector, Beijing finally looks ready to open up the space with its release of a draft plan detailing new areas for private investors. This latest development follows signs earlier this year that the telecoms regulator was preparing to open up the sector, which many greeted with skepticism due to Beijing’s previous empty pledges to open the industry when it entered the World Trade Organization back in 2001.
Qualcomm Key on China Mobile iPhone Deal 中国移动能否引进iPhone关键要看高通
Wireless giant China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) is sending out some interesting new signals that look like positive developments in its stalled iPhone deal with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), as well as its drive to develop its e-commerce business. Let’s look at the iPhone development first, as it’s the one with the most potential to give a much-needed boost to China Mobile and its poorly performing 3G network, which has suffered from technical problems and also lackluster promotion by China Mobile itself.
