A rapidly evolving pilot program that should see at least 6 virtual network operators (VNOs) enter China’s telecoms space this year has everyone chattering about who the first operators might be, with Internet leader Tencent (HKEx: 700) mentioned as one of the most likely candidates. Tencent hasn’t really commented on its intent, though it’s certainly an intriguing possibility, especially against the backdrop of the company’s recent high-profile spat with leading mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). I’ll take a look more closely at this element shortly, but first let’s take a step back and check out the latest big-picture news involving the biggest opening in years for China’s sensitive telecoms sector.
Tag Archives: Tencent
News Digest: January 11 报摘：2013年1月11日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 11. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Alibaba Group Reorganizes into 25 Business Units (English article)
- Founder of Group Buying Site 24Quan Confirms Company Has Closed (Chinese article)
- Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) Tim Cook Meets With China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Chmn (English article)
- Tencent (HKEx: 700) to Fully Open Cloud Service (English article)
- Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) Buys 7.1 Pct of Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU) (Chinese article)
China Mobile Muscles Tencent Into Talks 中国移动与腾讯进行营收共享协议谈判
Just a couple of weeks after telecoms heavyweight China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) complained that Internet giant Tencent (HKEx: 700) was stealing its text messaging business, we’re getting word that the 2 companies may have started talks for a revenue sharing agreement to resolve the dispute. China Mobile’s discontent involves Tencent’s popular mobile instant messaging service WeChat, better known by its Chinese name Weixin, which has soared to prominence in the last 2 years and recently passed the 300 million registered user mark. (previous post) The service allows people to send text messages back and forth over the Internet, letting them circumvent traditional text messaging that is one of the biggest revenue sources for China Mobile and the nation’s other 2 big telcos.
China Internet Rule: Beijing’s Order Obsession 中国互联网新规
Everyone is giving their view on China’s new Internet rule announced late last week and what it means for both web surfers and service providers, so I too feel a need to provide my own interpretation on this latest development in the country’s wild and often unruly social media space. In a nutshell, the new rule seems designed to formally put into law many of the practices already performed by major companies and individuals, and in that sense it doesn’t represent a huge change in Beijing’s stance toward the Internet and new media in general.
News Digest: January 2 报摘：2013年1月2日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on January 2. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- China Mobile (HKEx: 941), Tencent (HKEx: 700) Discuss Traffic Usage, Revenue Share (English article)
- Hollywood Tops Chinese Film Market In 2012, First Time In 4 Years (English article)
- Another New Partnership For Ambitious Guangzhou Auto (HKEx: 2238) (English article)
- China’s 3 Telcos Reveal 60 Pct of Mobile Subscribers Registered With Real Names (Chinese article)
- Lenovo (HKEx: 941), Compal (Taipei: 2324) JV Officially Starts Production (Chinese article)
Virtual Networks Coming in 2013 虚拟运营商或于明年进入中国电信市场
The Chinese media have been buzzing these last few days with word that the telecoms regulator will soon roll out a highly anticipated plan to allow virtual network operators (VNOs) into China in 2013, finally breaking the monopoly on telecoms services held by the nation’s 3 major telcos. Such a move could suddenly open the door for homegrown companies like Tencent (HKEx: 700) and Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) to offer specialized services over their own privately branded virtual networks, but would also open the door for bigger global names like France Telecom (Paris: FTE) and AT&T (NYSE: T) to enter the long-closed market.
Renren Buy-Back: Does Anyone Care? 人人回购股票：有人关心吗？
Beleaguered social networking site (SNS) Renren (NYSE: RENN) is resorting to the feeble tactic of buying back its shares to boost its anemic stock, even as it faces little or no prospect of major new growth in the current chilly advertising climate. What the company really needs right now is a major jolt to excite investors, perhaps through a privatization or a mega-merger with leading rival Kaixin. Both of those could be possibilities in the new year, with the merger option as the most exciting that could breathe new life into a company that was once considered the Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) of China.
China Mobile, Tencent Spar Over WeChat 中国移动与腾讯就微信展开口水战
It seems that Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo isn’t the only company worried about the rapid rise of WeChat, the wildly popular mobile social networking service (SNS) operated by leading Internet company Tencent (HKEx: 700). That’s my interpretation of the situation, following a recent war of words that has broken out between Tencent and China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), China’s dominant mobile carrier. But in this new tussle, Tencent needs to move very carefully since China Mobile is not only a competitor but is also in the powerful position of being able to limit or even completely cut off its more than 700 million mobile subscribers from access to WeChat, more commonly known by its Chinese name of Weixin.
Weibo, WeChat Set For 2013 Showdown 微博、微信将于2013年决战
An epic battle on the Chinese Internet is shaping up for the New Year, pitting dominant social networking site (SNS) Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Weibo against up-and-coming challenger WeChat, also known by its Chinese name Weixin. The looming battle in many ways reflects the rapid rise in China of the mobile Internet, where WeChat has found an eager new audience that likes to use SNS all the time instead of only at desktop computers where Sina Weibo dominates.
News Digest: December 22-24 报摘： 2012年12月22-24日
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 22-24. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Alibaba Outbids Tencent, Baidu to Invest in Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Microblog – Source (English article)
- China Probes Safety of Yum Brands’ (NYSE: YUM) KFC Chicken Products (English article)
- Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) Web Services (AWS) China Site Goes Live (Chinese article)
- Phoenix New Media (NYSE: FENG) Vice President Wang Yulin Resigns (Chinese article)
- Online Wine Seller Jiumei Launches Financial Product With Rothschild (Chinese article)
Xiaomi, Nokia In New Web Tie-Ups 小米和诺基亚触网或只是营销噱头
A couple of tie-ups from the hot smartphone space are making headlines these last few days, with up-and-comer Xiaomi and fast-fading global giant Nokia (Helsinki: NOK1V) both looking to Internet partners to boost their prospects. The first of the tie-ups will see Xioami partner with leading Internet portal Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) to sell Xiaomi’s second-generation smartphones online. Meantime, Nokia is tying up with Jingdong Mall, China’s second largest e-commerce firm, in a bid to reverse its downward slide in the world’s largest mobile market.
