China’s telecoms regulator has just made an interesting move that indicates leading telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) may get a much shorter head start than previously expected over smaller rivals China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) in the nation’s migration to 4G wireless service . The move looks potentially significant to me because it also comes as the regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), is also preparing to issue its first batch of 5 or 6 virtual network operator (VNO) licenses, which will create much needed new competition for the 3 existing state-run telcos. Read Full Post…
October is quickly shaping up as a Golden Telecoms Month for China, with a growing number of major events looking set to take place in the month that starts off with the October 1 Golden Week holiday. Major developments that look likely to occur next month include the long-awaited awarding of 4G mobile licenses, and the announcement of another highly-anticipated deal that would see dominant telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) finally offer an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone on its network. But perhaps the biggest development for the month could see China’s telecoms regulator announce its first round of highly anticipated licenses for up to 6 new “virtual telcos”, known in the industry as virtual network operators (VNOs). Read Full Post…
Everyone is watching closely to see how Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) 2 new iPhones will perform in their upcoming first weekend on sale, and I have to say the early numbers coming from China look rather unimpressive. I should give a major caveat by saying the figures I’m about to cite are very partial, and the extrapolations I’ll make are mostly based on my own guess work. But based on the cool reception that the 2 new iPhones have received in China so far, I would say the 2 new models would be lucky to sell as well as their predecessor, the iPhone 5, which itself wasn’t too impressive due to its late launch in China. Read Full Post…
The buzz is quickly dying over the newest iPhone, with Chinese media and gadget fanatics decidedly underwhelmed by China’s first-ever inclusion in a global launch for a major new Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) product. In many ways this kind of disillusionment was almost inevitable, since there was so much hype when media first began reporting last week that China would be included in the global launch for the iPhone 5S. But at a deeper level, it looks to me like the Chinese are disappointed that they weren’t given more special treatment to acknowledge their status as the world’s largest smartphone market, and are also annoyed at having to pay a big premium for the 2 newest iPhones. Read Full Post…
Local media are buzzing with word that China’s telecoms regulator has just approved 4 smartphones for use on the nation’s upcoming 4G networks, implying the long-awaited issue of 4G licenses could be imminent. But equally interesting is a separate report that says the number of newly approved phones is actually 5, and that the fifth phone was a version of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) new iPhone 5S that can operate on networks using a homegrown Chinese technology called TD. That report says Apple requested its iPhone approval be kept secret; but if true, it means we could soon see announcement of a long-awaited tie-up between the US tech giant and leading Chinese mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). Read Full Post…
I’m giving kudos today to China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) for finally doing what no other company has ever done before: getting China included in the upcoming global launch for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) newest iPhone. Meantime, China’s homegrown Apple wannabe Xiaomi is taking another page from its role model, with media reporting the fast-rising smartphone maker is preparing to launch its first tablet PC right around the same time of the global iPhone debut. Read Full Post…
The headlines are buzzing about a new joint venture between wireless carrier China Telecom (HKEx: 728) and Internet company NetEase (Nasdaq: NTES), in one of the bigger media frenzies I’ve seen in quite a while for this kind of tie-up. But everyone loves a good contest, and this particular joint venture offers just that with a major new challenge to Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) hugely popular WeChat mobile instant messaging service, known in Chinese as Weixin. Just to make sure everyone understands what this story is about, China Telecom and NetEase have even given their new service the name of YiChat or Yixin in Chinese, which both sound quite similar to the English and Chinese names Tencent’s service. Read Full Post…
Mobile telecoms fans who have been waiting for years for China to issue 4G mobile licenses may finally have reason to celebrate, amid the latest media reports that say licenses will finally be awarded around the upcoming Oct 1 National Day holiday. But the awards will be somewhat bittersweet for true mobile fans, since only users of a homegrown technology called TD-LTE will be able to sample the super-high speeds offered by 4G for at least the next few months. People waiting for service based on more mature western-developed technology called FDD-LTE will probably have to wait at least another half year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the wait is even closer to a year or more. Read Full Post…
Telecoms stalwart China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) and up-and-comer Xiaomi are creating new buzz in the sector these last few days, as speculation builds that the former may be near a long-awaited deal with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to finally offer the iPhone on its network. Meantime, Xiaomi is making headlines with word that it expects its revenue to double this year, following a strong reception for Hongmi, its latest smartphone that retails for just 799 yuan or about $130. Read Full Post…
After offering some rare praise last week for China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) related to a smart new tie-up with Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700), I’m sorry to have to return to my older pattern of criticizing this bumbling company, this time for a 4G strategy that looks quite schizophrenic. Somewhat appropriately, Unicom discussed its latest 4G plans on a day when it also bumbled the release of its latest financial results. In that instance, a government organization published Unicom’s interim results before their official release via the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, forcing Unicom to request a temporary halt in its stock’s trading until the official stock exchange release. Read Full Post…
Apple’s Cook back in China to put out latest fires
The US may be one of the world’s most competitive markets, but tech giant Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is quickly discovering that fast-growing China is far more complex for a wide range of reasons that are often more political than economic. CEO Tim Cook was in Beijing this week to address some of those issues, in what looks like a hastily arranged trip to put out a growing number of fires facing his firm in the world’s largest smartphone market. Read Full Post…
