Telefonica extends partnership with China Unicom February 3, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, China, China Netcom, China Unicom, Telefonica, Wireless.Tags: 3G, China, China Netcom, China Unicom, Telefonica
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Telefonica has signed a new agreement for investing in China, following its acquisition of a stake in China Netcom in 2005. The Spanish operator has agreed to work with China Unicom, which recently merged with China Netcom, on developing mobile and especially 3G services. China Unicom is developing a 3G service based on the WCDMA standard, the same as used by Telefonica. In addition, the agreement covers a wide number of areas of collaboration such as developing innovative services, international business, joint procurement of network equipment, devices and handsets, platforms for innovative and advanced services, and services to corporate customers, among others. Telefonica is the largest private investor in China Unicom, with a 5.38 percent stake. Cesar Alierta, chairman of Telefonica, is a non-executive member of the board of directors of the new China Unicom.
First SIMpass-enabled Mobile Phone Launched in China January 29, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, China, China Unicom, Cqpass, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Payment, Near Field Communication, SIMpass.Tags: Asia, China, China Unicom, Cqpass, Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Payment, Near Field Communication, SIMpass
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China Unicom has launched a mobile phone based payment service in the city of Chongqing which enables users to use their phone to pay for transport tickets and at various retailer for normal purchases. The ‘Cqpass’ is a multi-system mobile payment service first to use the SIMpass enabled custom-made mobile phone that was unveiled in Chongqing last month. SIMpass is a Single Card Near Field Communication (SC-NFC) platform. The custom-made mobile phone for this service is developed under the cooperation between China Unicom, Chongqing Yucheng Transportation Card, Guohong Telecom and Digital Group and Watchdata that provided the SIMpass technology.
The Cqpass mobile payment service has all the functions similar to the regular Yucheng Tong Card and can be used to pay for bus rides, cable car rides, hotels, parks entrance and restaurants. Apart from these functionalities, it also features transaction record query and card number display.In 2009, the project will start the development of its second stage of application that would link the subscriber’s bank account to enable the OTA top-up functionality.
China’s Semiconductor Market to Fall 5.8 Percent in 2009 January 23, 2009
Posted by aikservices in Asia, China, Mobile, Semiconductor, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: Asia, China, Mobile, Semiconductor, Telecom, Wireless
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China’s semiconductor industry is expected to contract in 2009, the first time a significant decline has occurred since iSuppli Corp. began gathering statistics on the market – and perhaps for the first time in the history of the nation’s chipbusiness. China’s semiconductor market is expected to decline by 5.8 percent to $72 billion in 2009, down from $76.5 billion in 2008, according to iSuppli’s China Application Market Forecast Tool (AMFT). The only previous decline iSuppli recorded was in 2008, when revenue decreased by a scant 0.1 percent – essentially a flat year for the market.
Such a downturn is remarkable for an region long regarded as a vigorous and reliable growth driver for global semiconductor market, Kevin Wang, senior manager of China research at iSuppli. Even during the disastrous year of 2001, when global semiconductor revenue plunged by 28.6 percent, China’s industry managed to surge by 24.4 percent. With global semiconductor revenue expected to decline by 9.4 percent in 2009, and with consumer confidence at risk of falling further, China’s semiconductor outlook could dim even more than iSuppli presently forecasts.Despite this, iSuppli predicts growth will return in 2010, with a smart revenue rebound of 9 percent, followed by an 11 percent increase in 2011.
China Mobile sets USD8.6bn rollout budget for 2009 January 15, 2009
Posted by aikservices in 3G, Asia, China, China Mobile, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: 3G, China, China Mobile, Mobile, Telecom, Wireless
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China Mobile has announced a mobile network investment budget for 2009 of RMB58.8 billion (USD8.6 billion) to expand coverage of its 3G Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) services. The company also said it plans to issue subsidies of around RMB10 billion (USD1.4 billion) to TD-SCDMA handset manufacturers to encourage take-up of its 3G services, including videocalling, high speed downloads and streaming TV programmes. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the TD-SCDMA network was launched on a pre-commercial basis in ten cities in April 2008, with an estimated 300,000 3G users by end-September 2008 (a tiny fraction of China Mobile’s total 436 million user base at that date). Earlier this month China Mobile was awarded a commercial TD-SCDMA licence, whilst it also met equipment suppliers in preparation for the launch of its third-phase TD-SCDMA network rollout tender in 162 cities. The tender is expected to open on 25 January, with winners to be announced at the end of March. Its RMB30 billion second-phase network tender was carried out in November 2008, and will increase TD-SCDMA coverage to 38 cities by the end of 2009.
The company says it plans to cover a total of 238 cities by building 60,000 base stations, up from approximately 20,000 currently. The Chinese government has set a target of 100 million TD-SCDMA subscribers by the end of 2010. According to a governmental statement issued last month, the country’s three 3G licensees – China Mobile, China Unicom (W-CDMA licence) and China Telecom (CDMA2000-based concession) – are expected to invest USD41 billion in third-generation networks in the next two years, including around USD29 billion in 2009.
LG Mobile to Invest CNY1bn in Chinese Market January 5, 2009
Posted by aikservices in China, LG Mobile, Mobile, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Telecom, Wireless.Tags: China, LG Mobile, Mobile, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Telecom, Wireless
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Under the financial crisis, global giants like Nokia Corporation, Motorola Inc., and Sony Ericsson either cut jobs or reduce payments, while LG Mobile announced on December 30, 2008, that CNY 1 billion would be poured into China in 2009, being the largest investment of the company since its foray into the country.When other counterparts view the financial crisis as a severe strike, LG Mobile takes it as an opportunity. The CNY 1 billion will be used for marketing and building sales channels. Besides, inputs will be injected into fields such as technology innovation, product research and development, human resources, advertising, publicizing, and pubic relations.
After the capital infusion, LG Mobile will launch 60 mobile phone models in China per year from 2009, including 35 GSM, 15 CDMA, and ten 3G. And the company will also partner with Chinese mobile phone distributors China PTAC Communications Services Co., Ltd., and Telling Telecom Holding Co., Ltd. , expanding its retail outlets from 7,000 to 13,000.A top executive of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company says LG Mobile hopes to lift up its Chinese market share to 5% to 10% in 2009, and become one the top five mobile phone makers. In the near future, the company aims to edge into the world’s top three.
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