China Unicom
Latest
China to abandon UMB, snag LTE within 2 to 3 years
Fresh in the wake of China's massive wireless restructuring, execs are already on the offensive with fightin' words that suggest true, standards-based 4G could be coming sooner rather than later. Though he says EV-DO Rev. A is still in the cards for the short term, China Telecom's CEO says that GSM and CDMA networks alike will all converge to LTE in the country, thus signalling the abandonment of the CDMA-favored UMB migration path by yet another of the world's wireless juggernauts. All told, it's looking promising that the overwhelming majority of the world's countries will be on the same cellular technology page within the next decade or so -- but who would've thought the creator of TD-SCDMA would commit to being one of the first to flip the switch?[Via IntoMobile]
China Unicom to fetch iPhone 3G in August?
Chalk this one up as just another rumor for now, but whispers around the Chinese web have it that China Unicom could be netting Apple's latest handset (yeah, that 3G one) this August. If you'll recall, Steve had issues in the past getting Chinese carriers to buy into his demanding revenue sharing model, but now that those days are gone, we suspect talks may go a little smoother. And c'mon, Apple didn't add in Chinese character recognition for kicks and giggles, now did it? As of now, China Mobile has yet to make a peep on the rumblings, but we've only got a few months before finding out either way.[Via IntoMobile]
China Unicom takes the hint, buys China Netcom
Taking a cue from the government to consolidate resources in an effort to get the 3G show on the road, China's China Unicom has kicked off a deal with China Netcom to buy out the landline carrier in a stock swap valued at a staggering $56 billion; the whole thing is expected to close by the end of the year. Separately, China Telecom will swipe China Unicom's CDMA network for about $6.3 billion, setting the stage for a new carrier alignment in the country that'll see three companies align as the 3G powerhouses to serve a grand total of 1.3 billion people. Meanwhile, China Mobile is plodding right along with its TD-SCDMA rollout for the Olympics, so there's really no telling how many standards Chinese subscribers will end up dealing with when all is said and done.[Via mocoNews]Read - China Unicom / China Netcom dealRead - China Unicom / China Telecom deal
China to issue 3G licenses, calls for Unicom / Netcom merger
This just in: don't believe anything you hear regarding an official 3G rollout date in China. After quite a bit of rigmarole, the Chinese government has finally announced that it will issue a trio of 3G licenses. Notably, the announcement comes with a bit of baggage -- it's also calling for a merger between China Unicom and Netcom, two of its four biggest telecommunications providers. Furthermore, it stated that it would call on China Telecom, the nation's largest fixed-line carrier, to "purchase Unicom's CDMA network," all leading to a massive shuffle that should position three of the nation's telecom juggernauts to eventually offer high-speed wireless to a staggering 1.3 billion people. Unfortunately (though not unexpectedly), there's no time frame given for implementation, but some analysts are asserting that "a full launch of 3G services is [still] years away." Baby steps are better than no steps, we reckon. [Thanks, James]
Samsung's SCH-W599 enjoys both GSM / CDMA connectivity, long walks in park
Samsung's dual-mode SCH-W599 has made an appearance today and seems destined for China's China Unicom network. This handset sports both 800MHz CDMA and also dual-band GSM -- so yeah, not so terribly useful over here -- 2 megapixel camera, FM radio, Bluetooth, and a 2.4-inch touchscreen with handwriting recognition. Form factor is pretty standard Samsung fare, though thicker than we've seen from them in recent efforts. Other notables include a dual-sim slot under the bonnet and VibTonz feedback from the touchscreen. We're big on haptics round these parts, so we've got our collective fingers crossed we'll be seeing more of this in the near future, right Samsung?[Via Unwired View]
China's largest carrier ends talks for Apple iPhone
It wouldn't be the first time a company has used the press to bolster their negotiating position. Nevertheless, after saying the "iPhone model was not suitable for China" back in November, a spokesperson for China Mobile now says they've "terminated" discussions with Apple to bring the iPhone to China. China's largest carrier gave no reasons for the decision though the fee sharing agreement is likely a contributing factor. Well Steve, there's always China Unicom.
Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system gets FCC approval
It's not like we haven't seen consortiums working to establish better links between America and Asia, but the more the merrier, right? Apparently, Verizon Business has just recently received the all-important thumbs-up from the FCC to "activate and operate the Trans-Pacific Express submarine cable system in the US." The TPE cable is hailed as "the first next-generation undersea optical cable system directly linking the US and mainland China," and is the first major system of its kind to land on America's West Coast (Oregon, to be precise) in over seven years. For those curious, the 10,563-mile submarine communications cable will be able to support the equivalent of 62 million simultaneous phone calls -- which is "more than 60 times the overall capacity of the existing cable directly linking the US and China" -- and will initially provide capacity of up to 1.28Tbps. So, when will this thing be up and running? If all goes to plan, it should be fully operational by August (you know, prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing).[Image courtesy of Devicepedia]
Talks between Apple and China Mobile squelched... or are they?
Barely a fortnight after Apple began talking with China Mobile about getting the iPhone into the ginormous Chinese market, it seems that negotiations are off -- or still on, or something. Yesterday, Nanfang Daily reported that China Mobile's CEO felt that the "iPhone model was not suitable for China," but unnamed reporters suggested that the real reason behind the call-off was the inability for both entities to agree on -- surprise, surprise -- a revenue sharing model. Today, however, a report over at Bloomberg notes that Apple has in fact not ended discussions with China Mobile, and moreover, it was said to have "denied newspaper reports" claiming otherwise. 'Course, we've got two sides of the story here, and while Apple may feel that there's still room to negotiate, China Mobile may see things quite differently. Time will tell, we guess.[Via Macworld]Read - Nanfang Daily reportRead - Bloomberg report
China's TD-SCDMA deployment may be ready in time for Olympics
While most of the world plods along with WCDMA and EV-DO based networks to serve up 3G, China likes to do things its own way -- largely to avoid licensing fees -- by cookin' up TD-SCDMA. TD-SCDMA isn't commercial yet, which explains why the overwhelming majority of handsets targeted at the billion-strong Chinese market continue to this day to top out with 2G data. Unfortunately, launch dates have been pushed back time and time again; a full-scale launch isn't expected in 2007 at this point, though China Mobile reports that it's on target to complete networks in eight cities by year's end. That is good news, since it means that there's still hope for China to be able to showcase its shiny, new, royalty-unburdened technology by the time the Summer Olympics roll into Beijing next summer. ZTE and other domestic manufacturers (and some foreign ones, too) seem at the ready to deliver equipment into consumers' hands, so it's up to the carriers to get those towers up and running on the double. In other words: if you work for China Mobile, we think you have better things to be doing right now, don't you?[Via mocoNews]
China Unicom wants iPhone, too?
If Steve Jobs dreams of anything other than cubes or the The Beatles on iTunes, it's this: China's largest carriers in a tussle for rights to sell the iPhone. We're talking about a population of some 1 billion-strong who favor BlackBerrys for their sound quality and good looks. In an apparent response to the reported talks between China Mobile and Apple, Li Zhengmao, executive director and vice president of rival China Unicom is quoted by Dow Jones as saying, "It seems that iPhone is hot in some markets. We are willing to discuss with Apple." Direct talks with Apple, however, have not begun. Mind you, those same remarks were captured somewhat differently by Reuters. They quote Li Zhengmao as saying, "Right now, we don't have any plans to introduce Apple's iPhones in China. But of course, we're always willing to discuss a good business opportunity if it presents itself. As for whether we'll talk about iPhones with Apple, you'll have to ask Apple." Still, given that the talks have just begun, it's doubtful that Apple will reach a deal similar to those struck in Europe and the US any time soon. Wouldn't it be interesting though, if Apple released the iPhone in China before Meizu's M8 MiniOne clone ever hit the streets?Read -- Dow Jones quoteRead -- Reuters
China delays 3G licensing until after the Olympics
Talk about a delay -- China, which was expected to issue 3G licenses to its "top four" telecom operators, has now announced that the move will have to wait until they "come out of restructuring." As it currently stands, it will likely be after the 2008 Olympics before the licensing will ensue. Interestingly enough, information industry minister Wang Xudong has reportedly stated that "3G mobile phone services will be offered in the mainland in 2008 in time for the Beijing Olympics," but wouldn't that require issuance to take place before... beforehand? We'll keep you posted.[Via monoNews, image courtesy of 3G]
China recruits 3G standards from other countries
And we thought China's government was pretty solid on deploying TD-SCDMA as the 3G wireless standard of choice in the billion-plus country. It's kinda scary when a single carrier there has more wireless subscribers than the entire US population. Anyway, the Chinese government has had a change of heart it seems, and will be allowing foreign 3G standards into the country's wireless landscape. Why? It appears that forcing more innovation in its own homegrown wireless standard by opening up the market to competing standards -- WCDMA and CDMA2000 among them -- may light some fires under the status of current homegrown deployments.[Via MobileBurn]
Samsung SCH-W559 touts vibrating VibeTonz touchscreen
Although Immersion's VibeTonz technology has been integrated into various Samsung handsets in the past, the shakin' technology was previously limited to ring tone and gaming enhancements. Today, however, Samsung is launching the keypad-less SCH-W559, which is the self-proclaimed "world's first" handset to utilize the VibeTonz system as a means of tactile feedback. The unit's QVGA touchscreen is meant to be a hands-on experience, and whether you use a stylus or the tips of your finger, the phone will provide a vibrating cue, which can be adjusted and customized within the phone's software, whenever you touch a virtual button. Immersion claims that its technology allows the on-screen buttons to feel more like "mechanical keys" rather than just a sheet of plastic. The device will be launching solely on China Unicom initially, will support both CDMA / GSM networks, and will feature a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, handwriting recognition capability, and audio / video playback functions to boot. Of course, users will be able to pimp out their ringtones with integrated buzzing, and while we're not sure how much Samsung plans on charging for the rumbler, we can't wait for it to start shaking things up here on American soil.[Thanks, Peter S.]
CoolPad re-ups 728 with 728B
Remember that dual-mode GSM / CDMA Pocket PC out of China a few months back, the CoolPad 728? It looks like it must've done alright for itself because the manufacturer (which we think may be CEC Telecom, the folks behind our latest installment of Keepin' It Real Fake) has wasted no time in rolling out its successor, the 728B. From what little information we have, it looks like there's nothing to get terribly excited about here -- besides being a body double for the 728, the specs are largely similar though the 728B seems to add GPS navigation to the mix. If the 728B strikes your fancy (or you're an overly jealous 728 owner) get ready to dig deep: it scoots out the door for about 7,500 yuan, which works out to about $950 by our calculations.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Samsung SCH-W579: dual mode with a touchscreen
We're guessing that taking up residence in China has its fair share of disadvantages, but let it be known that a dearth of nifty, unusual smartphones is not one of them. Samsung has rolled another for China Unicom, the SCH-W579, and with support for CDMA 800 / 1900 and GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900, the touchscreen-enabled beast isn't likely to leave its owner without coverage. Other features include internal QVGA and external 96 x 80 displays, a 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, business card recognition, and a media player. We can't make heads or tails of what OS this thing will be rocking, but Linux is a strong possibility.[Via Slashphone]
UTStarcom goes dual-mode with GSM / CDMA T66
The dual-mode concept is a big deal in Asia where carriers like China Unicom have both GSM and CDMA networks floating around, and it looks like UTStarcom wants to cash in with its T66 clamshell. The press release claims the T66 sports not one, but two 2.6-inch displays (we're having a hard time picturing that), music player, 1.3 megapixel camera, and "MP3 broadcasting" and is destined for China Unicom's World Wind dual-mode service. The T66's major selling point is apparently its ability to stand by on both networks simultaneously, a feature missing from first-generation World Wind devices. No word on availability outside China, which doesn't necessarily break our hearts -- but we have to admit, we're a little curious about the "MP3 broadcasting" feature. An FM transmitter, perhaps?[Via Mobilewhack]
RIM's BlackBerry to battle "RedBerry" clone in China
In a surprising turn of events, China has decided to create a cheap domestic rip off of a popular product. With RIM finally readying the BlackBerry for its Chinese release, after a couple of years of delays, China Unicom has launched a "RedBerry" service that will offer push email to current subscribers on their existing CDMA handsets. Never the type to shy away from copyright infringement, China Unicom issued a press release stating: "The RedBerry name extends the vivid name of BlackBerry that people are already familiar with, and it also combines the new red symbol of China Unicom." Good to know they're feeling chipper about it. So far there's no word from RIM, but if a lawsuit doesn't end this there could be some stiff competition in the low-end between the services since the RedBerry offering sounds to be considerably cheaper than RIM's.[Thanks, Paul]
Virgin Mobile poised to launch MVNO in China
Interfax China is reporting that Virgin Mobile is close to signing a partnership with wireless carrier China Unicom that would make the UK-based company the first foreign MVNO in post-WTO China. Although Virgin would still require approval from the Chinese government, which carefully scrutinizes all proposed foreign business presences, the company will benefit from past deals in which Spain's Telefonica and Germany's Vodafone have made invesments in domestic telecom firms. Virgin already has offices in Shanghai, and CEO Richard Branson recently told reporters to expect a Chinese launch this fall, so it would seem pretty likely that this venture, which is well over a year in the making, has the necessary government support to proceed.
Hands on with the CoolPAD 728 CDMA/GSM smartphone
You'd better have a pretty spectacular product if you're going to put "cool" in its name ("i," on the other hand, can be prefixed to any piece of junk), and Chinese manufacturer CEC Telecom seems to have produced just such a device with their CoolPAD 728. Available through mobile carrier China Unicom, the CoolPAD is a Windows CE-powered smartphone which sports two SIM slots for the ability to run on 800MHz/1900MHz CDMA and 900MHz/1800MHz/1900MHz GSM networks- simultaneously (we're not sure how many people are skillful enough to hold two conversations at once, but the bragging rights alone warrant this feature, we feel). Other niceties include a dual-core 266MHz Samsung ARM processor, 2.8-inch QVGA screen, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a handy, talking English-to-Chinese dictionary. We've got a few more pics of this double-duty mobile, but for the real motherlode you've gotta head over to Engadget Chinese, who went so snap-happy that they needed two posts to cram all the pics in.Read- English descriptionRead- Engadget Chinese photo gallery, Pt. 1Read- Engadget Chinese photo gallery, Pt. 2
GSM operators plan mobile IM standard
As if text messaging didn't lead to enough repetitive stress injuries, the world's cellphone carriers now want you to start using your cellphone to IM. The GSM Association, which represents carriers from around the globe, has announced an agreement among eight major service providers, including T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange, to develop a common standard for instant messaging. No word on when the new standard, to be known as Personal IM, will be rolled out. There's also no news about whether it will interoperate with any of the IM services already used by millions of people -- and compatible with many cellphone services -- from companies such as Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft. Chances are it won't be, but we'll count on the open source community to fix that as quickly as possible.
