China Mobile 2009 Profit, Dividend Inch Higher
MarketWatch
China Mobile said its subscriber base grew by 14.2% during the year to 522 million users. Shares of the telecom were down 1% at the end of the Hong Kong morning trading session, ahead of the announcement.
Qualcomm Unveils LTE Plans for India
Light Reading
Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) shook up the mobile broadband market today with plans to bid for 2.3GHz spectrum in the upcoming auction in India. If successful, the company plans to introduce TD-LTE technology into the Indian market with the help of local network operator partners.
Mexican Telecom Tycoon Carlos Slim World’s Richest Man
AFP
Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim has dethroned Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the world wealthiest person and China is fast catching up with the number of US billionaires on the annual Forbes rich list. The new annual list saw the 70-year old Slim catapult from third place last year to the top spot, thanks to the success of his America Movil company, Latin America’s biggest mobile phone operator.
China Unicom Looks To Wi-Fi For iPhones
CNET
Speaking with reporters at the National People’s Congress, Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing said Saturday that the change in regulations has opened the door for a new iPhone with built-in Wi-Fi, the Journal reported. He gave no specific launch date for the new phone but did say the company would try to compensate users of current iPhones that lack Wi-Fi, possibly by giving them greater access to the 3G network.
Public Believes Broadband Access Is Now A “Human Right”
Cable.co.uk
Research by GlobeScan, which was completed in collaboration with the BBC, has revealed that around four in five people believe access to the internet should be “a fundamental right”. It also revealed that more than 70 per cent of non-users felt they should have access to such services, while 55 per cent of respondents suggested there could be government regulation of the web.
Chinese Shanzhai Manufacturers Moving Production To India
China Wireless News, China
In 2009, India began to fight against shanzhai mobile phones made in China because these phones lack International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers. So the Chinese manufacturers hope their products will be recognized in India with the production lines moved there. It is understood that 1.14 billion mobile phones were made in 2009, about 20% of which were shanzhai mobile phones without IMEI numbers made in China. According to Beijing Telecom Consulting Company, India is the largest overseas market for China’s shanzhai mobile phones.
Thirty Chinese Mobile Service Providers Punished For “Irregular Operations”
China Tech News, China
Reportedly 30 service providers are involved in irregular service billing, fake promotions, irregular operation of short message order services, non-standard pricing, and confusing service fees. Under related regulations, the companies were ordered to suspend ports or remove related services, and will face credit point deduction.
PCCW Chairman Richard Li’s Home Raided
Straits Times
POLICE have raided the home of Mr Richard Li, the chairman of Hong Kong telephone firm PCCW, as part of a probe linked to the failed privatisation bid of the company last year, the South China Morning Post said.
Huawei May Spin Off Devices Unit
Reuters
China’s Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] could again try to spin off its fast-growing terminals unit, which makes phones and data cards, after its previous attempt failed in 2008, Ping Guo, the chairman of the unit, told Reuters.
ZTE Makes 3 Million 3G Handsets in 2009
China Knowledge Online
ZTE Corp, the second-largest telecom equipment provider in China, delivered more than 3 million TD-SCDMA terminals in 2009, sources reported, citing ZTE General Manager Luo Zhongshen as saying.
India Behind the Curve On Broadband Deployment
Economic Times
India seriously lags other emerging and developed economies in broadband access. The country adds only about 1 million DSL lines per year. When compared to 87 million broadband lines in China and well over 120 million lines in the US, India is at a substantial growth disadvantage.
3G Poised For Breakout Year In China
EastDay.com
Chinese carriers plan to provide more than 50 billion yuan (US$7.35 billion) worth of subsidies to promote the domestic 3G handset market in 2010, according to Kevin Wang, director of China research at iSuppli. “Because of strong subsidies, phones using the TD-SCDMA standard will generate the bulk of growth in 2010,” said Wang.
China Mobile Bets On Ophone
Zacks.com
China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, is reportedly warming up to launch up to 30 new smartphone models in 2010 that are designed to run on the carrier’s home-grown TDSCDMA 3G standard. The devices (called “Ophones”) are being developed using the company’s proprietary “Open Mobile System (OMS)” smartphone operating system based on Google’s open-source Android software platform.
Telefonica, China Unicom Looking at JVs in Africa, Asia
Total Telecom
China Unicom Ltd. and Spain’s Telefonica SA are looking to team up on future joint investments in Asia and Africa, China Unicom chairman Lu Yimin said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Economista.
RIM, Digital China Sign Resale Agreement
China Tech News, China
RIM, the manufacturer of the BlackBerry smartphones, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese integrated IT services provider Digital China to enable the latter to resell BlackBerry smartphones in China.
