China Telecom

BEIJING—After months of prevarication, the Chinese government has decided to split the quasi-monopoly fixed-line operator China Telecom in two parts following geographical lines. Both the northern and southern split-offs of China Telecom may acquire mobile licenses, possibly next year. The …

BEIJING—China is set to establish a new high-level commission to formulate long-term development plans for the telecommunications sector. The commission would include Vice President Hu Jintao, Vice Premier Li Lanqing and Minister of Information Industry Wu Jichuan. The initiative would …

In the United States, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 freed telephone companies to deliver video programming and cable companies to provide phone service. But even though the 1996 telecom act opened up competition, the United States’ $100 billion telephone industry …

INDONESIA Lucent Technologies Inc. has signed two contracts with PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk to build its nationwide intelligent network and multimedia access infrastructure valued at $17.5 million. “We are pleased to have new supply agreements with Lucent Technologies,” said Muhammad …

Alcatel Brazil. With Telemar for a GSM 1800 network in the area from Piau

BEIJING-The complaint center of China’s Ministry of Information Industry (MII) last year received 6,588 complaints about phone services. Of the 1,025 cases it investigated, fixed-line operator China Telecom accounted for 732, while China Mobile received 163 complaints and China Unicom …

HONG KONG-“This time it’s for real,” stated Robert Mao, president of Nortel Networks China. But Irwin Jacobs, chairman of Qualcomm, was rather more sanguine. “I’ve gone from being cautiously optimistic,” said Jacobs, “to optimistic.” The CDMA Development Group (CDG) fielded …

BEIJING-China’s mobile communications market made big strides forward during 2000. The number of GSM subscribers leapt to more than 70 million, with a penetration rate of 5.5 percent. China Unicom debuted on the stock market and reconfirmed its intention to …

BEIJING-China Mobile (Hong Kong) is negotiating with China Telecom to cut the leased-line fees it pays by one-half. About 90 percent of China Mobile (Hong Kong)’s transmission lines are leased from China Telecom. Total leased-line expenses for 1999 were CNY3.72 …

China Mobile began charging for wireless Internet services beginning 21 October after twice delaying the date due to slack demand for the services, particularly by many industry professionals. However, Frost & Sullivan believes wireless Internet is exactly what the Chinese …

Alcatel Europe. With Orange as a strategic supplier for its third-generation networks throughout Europe. Value: Undisclosed Italy. With Wind Telecomunicazioni as a preferred third-generation network supplier. Value: Undisclosed Ericsson China. With China Telecom and Guangdong Mobile Communications to build a …

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.-Motorola Inc.’s Network Solutions Sector was awarded a $5.8 million contract by China Telecom to provide seven Global System for Mobile communications dual-band Rapid Deployment Vehicle units. The units consists of an independent, truck-mounted, wireless telephone system that …

HONG KONG-China Unicom Ltd., China’s second-largest telecommunications provider, is planning an initial public offering in June on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges. China Unicom is expected to raise about $4 billion through the offering. The listing essentially …

BEIJING-China agreed in its negotiations with the United States for entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that foreign operators would be allowed a maximum 49-percent stake in mobile telephone joint ventures by 2005. The European Union is aiming for …

NEW YORK-Despite problems the written Chinese language poses for Internet communications, China may nevertheless become the largest wireless data market in the world. China Telecom Hong Kong, which had 38 million subscribers at the end of 1999, “is closely following …

BEIJING-China Unicom and Qualcomm signed a landmark agreement in February, paving the way for Chinese manufacturers to get CDMA production licenses. Unicom wants to build a 10 million-line CDMA network this year and is evaluating 12 bidders to supply the …

BEIJING-China’s two telecom operators-big brother China Telecom and little brother China Unicom-soon will face the competitive onslaught of foreign heavyweights such as AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and WorldCom. After China joins the World Trade Organization (WTO), expected some time during the …

China’s on-again, off-again plan to allow commercial deployments of Code Division Multiple Access networks looks like it’s on again. The recent World Trade Organization pact between the United States and China and progress in negotiations over technology transfers appear to …

HONG KONG – China Telecom Hong Kong (CTHK) announced it plans to acquire three mobile networks in the Fujian, Henan and Hainan provinces of China for US$6.4 billion. The acquisition includes 3.4 million combined subscribers and could make CTHK one …

HONG KONG-Even though the Chinese paging market is teeming with around 1,700 operators, the market remains heavily regulated. Even paging operators in the well-heeled southern and southeastern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang continue to face the same strict …

Alcatel Argentina. With Telecom Argentina for a fixed wireless access network. Value: US$99.6 million Ericsson Argentina. With Unif

BEIJING-China Unicom has big ambitions. That’s no big news. When it was established in 1994, the company hoped to capture one-third of the mobile phone market and a 10th of the fixed-line market by 2000. However, today it has less …

Australia Leap Wireless International announced that it is selling its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, OzPhone Pty. Ltd., to an affiliate of AAPT Ltd., Australia’s third-largest telecommunications company, for Australian $25 million (US$16.3 million). OzPhone holds licenses covering 6 million potential …

France France Telecom said it signed a partnership agreement with the Sonae group in Portugal. The two already have a working relationship as stakeholders in Optimus, the third mobile operator in Portugal. The new partnership would be held 43.33 percent …

Alcatel Austria. With Tele.ring for its new GSM 1800 network. Value: US$298 million Ericsson Brazil. With Telecom Italia Mobile to expand its TDMA network. Value: US$100 million China. With China Telecom (Hong Kong) Ltd. for GSM equipment to expand its …