China’s unruly markets for emerging sectors are famous for Trojan Horses, which often come as hidden traps in many products and services that ultimately harm consumers. The nation’s tourism authority just launched a new law to eliminate such traps in the travel sector, and now we’re getting word that the telecoms regulator is preparing a similar move against hidden and sometimes malicious apps that often come pre-installed on many new smartphones. This new crackdown will help to rid the market of such unwanted apps, such as ones that provide users’ personal data to third-parties without the users’ knowledge or consent. But the move could also ultimately drive up smartphone prices and perhaps even drive some companies out of business. Read Full Post…
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…
I’ve been writing with growing frequency about the impending release of 4G mobile licenses, as local media report almost weekly on the latest developments in this highly anticipated event. The latest reports aren’t all that exciting, citing a regulatory source saying rumors that licenses will be issued this month are most likely untrue. Meantime, leading telco China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) doesn’t seem to care about the actual release date, and has already started its own aggressive campaign for advance sign-ups of 4G subscribers in major cities like Shanghai. Amid all this buzz, I thought I’d also take a look at what’s ahead for 4G once it actually launches, as I do see a rather bumpy road for the technology in its first year. Read Full Post…
Beijing took an important step towards rejuvenating the global solar panel sector last week when it announced new steps that will strictly limit new plant construction. This kind of government-led approach is a good short-term solution, as it will halt the introduction of new supply, which in turn will allow prices to stabilize after more than 2 years of steep declines caused by massive overcapacity. Read Full Post…
China telecoms watchers are scratching their heads in complete puzzlement today, following the latest media reports that Beijing may require the nation’s 3 big telcos to all build 4G networks based on a homegrown Chinese technology called TD-LTE. This latest signal coming from unnamed sources at China’s telecoms regulator surprised even me, as there was no indication before that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) might make this requirement. But then again, the MIIT has become famous for its mixed signals over the years, in what I suspect are deliberate leaks by the agency designed to get more public feedback on internal policy debates. Read Full Post…
The non-stop debate over Internet giant Tencent’s (HKEx: 700) popular WeChat mobile instant messaging service has moved south to Hainan island, where executives on both sides of the issue are speaking out at a major annual forum in the city of Boao. On one side of the issue, former China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) Chairman Wang Jianzhou is saying that WeChat and other popular mobile apps are a huge burden for the nation’s telcos, which must invest big bucks in infrastructure that these Internet-based programs require to operate. On the other side of the issue, Tencent President Martin Lau is saying that WeChat will remain free, contradicting recent signals from the telecoms regulator that Tencent will soon start to charge for the service. Read Full Post…
I don’t know about other people, but I’m getting increasingly tired of China Mobile’s (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) non-stop string of word games as it aggressively pushes the country’s telecoms regulator to quickly issue 4G licenses that will allow it to offer a commercial 4G wireless service. But perhaps my frustration would be more appropriately directed at the telecoms regulator itself, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), whose massive bureaucracy means it often takes ridiculously long periods to approve just about anything, putting China’s telecoms market at a major disadvantage to global peers.
It may be cold and wintry in Beijing as the Year of the Snake approaches, but that isn’t stopping some of the world’s top high-tech CEOs from passing through the Chinese capital in pursuit of their own varied agendas. First Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt made a high-profile stop in Beijing en route to a visit to North Korea, and now we’re learning that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has also come calling on the nation’s capital this week. But whereas Schmidt’s visit seemed a bit whimsical to me, Cook’s trip looks much more practical, including an all-important stop at the nation’s telecoms regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). (Chinese article)
A recent flurry of new reports is hinting that a state-led consolidation of China’s fragmented cable TV industry is moving ahead, but also that the campaign may be meeting with some resistance from provincial governments reluctant to cede assets to a Beijing-based national operator. Despite that resistance, I suspect that this consolidation will probably succeed in the end since Beijing really wants it to happen. But the new operator may have to cede a lot of autonomy to its various provincial level units, meaning it could have difficulty competing with China’s 3 major telcos which have stronger central coordination.
A flurry of new signals from the public and private sectors are all indicating that TD, a home-grown Chinese technology for third- and fourth-generation wireless mobile services, may finally be gaining momentum after several years of languishing, providing a welcome boost for China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), the technology’s main proponent. The latest news bits include word that China Mobile itself is preparing to purchase large volumes of handsets that can operate on the 4G standard known as TD-LTE, and that global smartphone chip leader Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) will roll out a highly anticipated TD chip by the end of the year. From the regulatory end, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees the telecoms sector, is also reportedly preparing to finalize its spectrum plans for TD-LTE and 4G in general within the next month.
I don’t know about other people, but I’m getting increasingly tired of China Mobile’s (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) non-stop string of word games as it aggressively pushes the country’s telecoms regulator to quickly issue 4G licenses that will allow it to offer a commercial 4G wireless service. But perhaps my frustration would be more appropriately directed at the telecoms regulator itself, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), whose massive bureaucracy means it often takes ridiculously long periods to approve just about anything, putting China’s telecoms market at a major disadvantage to global peers.
It may be cold and wintry in Beijing as the Year of the Snake approaches, but that isn’t stopping some of the world’s top high-tech CEOs from passing through the Chinese capital in pursuit of their own varied agendas. First Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt made a high-profile stop in Beijing en route to a visit to North Korea, and now we’re learning that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook has also come calling on the nation’s capital this week. But whereas Schmidt’s visit seemed a bit whimsical to me, Cook’s trip looks much more practical, including an all-important stop at the nation’s telecoms regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). (
A recent flurry of new reports is hinting that a state-led consolidation of China’s fragmented cable TV industry is moving ahead, but also that the campaign may be meeting with some resistance from provincial governments reluctant to cede assets to a Beijing-based national operator. Despite that resistance, I suspect that this consolidation will probably succeed in the end since Beijing really wants it to happen. But the new operator may have to cede a lot of autonomy to its various provincial level units, meaning it could have difficulty competing with China’s 3 major telcos which have stronger central coordination.
A flurry of new signals from the public and private sectors are all indicating that TD, a home-grown Chinese technology for third- and fourth-generation wireless mobile services, may finally be gaining momentum after several years of languishing, providing a welcome boost for China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), the technology’s main proponent. The latest news bits include word that China Mobile itself is preparing to purchase large volumes of handsets that can operate on the 4G standard known as TD-LTE, and that global smartphone chip leader Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) will roll out a highly anticipated TD chip by the end of the year. From the regulatory end, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees the telecoms sector, is also reportedly preparing to finalize its spectrum plans for TD-LTE and 4G in general within the next month.
