Despite Beijing’s repeated efforts to stamp out piracy, the problem remains a major one in China, with companies large and small, public and private still engaging in a practice that costs software makers billions of dollars in lost sales each year. The magnitude of the problem was on prominent display last week when reports emerged that Microsoft was seeking Beijing’s help to get four major companies, including the parent of PetroChina (HKEx: 857; Shanghai: 601857; NYSE: PTR), to stop using pirated copies of its popular Office software suite.
Tag Archives: Microsoft
News Digest: September 22-24, 2012 报摘： 2012年9月22-24日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 22-24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Microsoft Asks PetroChina (HKEx: 857), Others to Stop Using Pirated Office – Sources (Chinese article)
- Qunar Monthly Air Ticketing Revenue Surpasses Ctrip (Nasdaq: CTRP) (English article)
- Volvo Cars Likely to Miss 2015 China Sales Goal: CEO (English article)
- Suntech (NYSE: STP) Receives Continued Listing Standards Notice from NYSE (PRNewswire)
- Panasonic (Tokyo: 6752) Details Damage to China Manufacturing Sites (Businesswire)
ZTE on Long Smartphone March 中兴走上智能手机“长征”路
Telecoms equipment maker ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) is hoping to avoid the fate of faded cellphone giants Nokia (Helsinki: NOK1V) and Motorola by focusing on smartphones as it hones an expansion strategy that it hopes will revive its stagnating fortunes. That seems to be the latest message from the embattled company, whose profits have plunged in recent quarters as its core telecoms equipment business weakens and it pumps major new investment its cellphone unit. Personally speaking, I do think the emphasis on smartphones is a smart one as these computer-like phones are clearly the wave of the future and will probably outsell older phones within the next 5 or 6 years.
China Start-Up Patron Attacks Short Sellers 李开复炮轰做空机构Citron
An entertaining war of words has broken out this week between one of the most outspoken short sellers of US-listed Chinese stocks over the last year and an China-based Internet veteran whose company is helping to fund many similar companies to the ones under attack. Followers of China’s Internet will know that the short seller I’m referring to is a California-based company called Citron, whose most recent attacks have targeted Internet security software maker Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) by questioning the company’s user data. The Internet veteran, meantime, is Lee Kai-Fu, a former top executive at Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) who left Google in 2009 to start his own company called Innovation Works to fund Chinese high-tech start-ups. (English article; Chinese article)
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.
Mobile Internet Passes the Desktop 手机成中国网民最大上网终端
A government agency has just released data showing that mobile Internet users in China have passed traditional desktop users for the first time, posing an interesting challenge for all players that have typically designed their products for people who surf the web from fixed-line PCs at home and in Internet cafes. This move reminds me of a similar shift to mobile from desktop computing now taking place worldwide that is dealing a blow to former PC giants Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), which have long dominated the desktop computing arena but are having trouble in the mobile space.
Tom In Rumored Divorce With Skype TOM集团或失去Skype在华代理权
Five or 6 years can be an eternity in cyberspace, which is clearly the lesson that former Internet high-flyer Tom Group (HKEx: 2383) is learning as it moves one step closer to irrelevance with word that its long-time partnership with Skype is on the verge of breaking up. That divorce would represent the end of one of its last remaining tie-ups with major western media firms that helped propel the company to fame nearly a decade ago.
Tencent-Activision: Finally a Good Match 腾讯竞购动视暴雪
Just a week after leading Internet company Tencent (HKEx: 700) announced a strategic tie-up with top US game developer Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), we’re hearing that this pairing could become a true marriage as Activision’s debt-heavy parent looks to sell the company. After several previous M&A attempts by Tencent that didn’t look too smart to me, I can honestly say that this latest pursuit would be one that I like, and I’ll explain my reasons in a moment.
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.
News Digest: June 2-4, 2012 报摘： 2012年6月2-4日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 2-4. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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◙ MIIT Official: China’s 3G User Base Just 80 Mln (English article)
◙ China Lodging Group (Nasdaq: HTHT) Announces Investment in Starway Hotels (PRNewswire)
◙ Renren (NYSE: RENN) Considers Spin-Off, Listing for Game Unit – Source (Chinese article)
◙ Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Warns China Users on Searches That May Break Connection (English article)
◙ Tencent (HKEx: 700) Soso, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Bing to Tie Up on Search Ads – Source (Chinese article)
China Opening Telecoms With Cloud Centers 云计算或成为中国开放电信服务市场的突破口
China’s telecoms companies have all rushed to set up new cloud computing centers, the massive data and software warehouses that allow computer users to do all their computing remotely from relatively simple desktop and laptop PCs. But now it appears that Beijing wants to develop this area so much that it’s also opening up the sector to foreign companies, with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) the latest to detail its plans for the cloud computing space in China. Media are quoting a top Microsoft global executive saying the company is applying for permission to build cloud centers in China (English article), after Microsoft said late last year it was studying such a plan for the interior city of Chongqing. (previous post) Microsoft’s entry to the space would come months after IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced in January it would help to build a massive campus near Beijing that would become China’s largest cloud computing center. (English article) From an investors perspective, these 2 developments look very interesting not only for their money-earning potential, but also because they seem to show that Beijing may finally be starting to allow foreign firms to make major investments in the lucrative Chinese telecoms services market, after years of locking them out despite agreeing to open the space under its commitments when it entered the World Trade Organization 10 years ago. This kind of opening would be consistent with recent remarks from the telecoms regulator, which said in March that the government has officially made boosting private investment in telecoms infrastructure part of its new policy. (previous post) Cloud computing would be a relatively easy area to open up to foreign investment, since right now the industry is at a very low stage of development and clearly the arrival of foreign technology and expertise from big names like Microsoft and IBM could quickly build the sector into a world-class player. Another opening of China’s telecoms services market could also come in the next year or 2 if one of China’s 3 telcos signs a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement with a major foreign telco. Such agreements have yet to come to China but are popular in other markets, and usually see a foreign telco offer its own branded service overseas using an existing carrier’s network. China Telecom (HKEx: 728) last week launched the first MVNO for a Chinese company with a partner in Britain, and I predicted that move could ultimately see the Chinese telco reciprocate by signing an MVNO that would allow a foreign telco to offer service in China. (previous post) This latest cloud development, along with the potential for a foreign MVNO in China, does seem to show that China may finally be serious about opening up its telecoms services market. Earning profits, meanwhile, could be a more difficult challenge in a market this is already quite competitive in many areas.
Bottom line: Microsoft’s plan to build cloud centers in China is the latest sign of Beijing’s intent to open its telecoms services market to foreign investment.
Related postings 相关文章:
◙ Telecoms Infrastructure Prepares to Open 中国电信基建市场或更开放
◙ China Telecom Opens Door for Foreign Telcos 中国电信在英国推出MVNO业务 或为外国电信企业进入中国铺路
