Telecommunication News
- 77% mobile users to buy 3G handsets
Date: 2-Jan-2007 Sources: (Shenzhen Daily)
A SURVEY released Thursday in Beijing claims that more than 77 percent of Chinese mobile users are keen to buy 3G handsets when they become available.
According to the survey by the China Center for Information Industry Development, 17 percent of users say they might buy 3G handsets and merely 6 percent of users say they would not buy one.
Mobile TV, video calls and high-speed Internet access are functions the 3G services subscribers are most looking forward to. Users are also clamoring for music downloads, multimedia transmissions and wireless positioning.
About 76 percent of users surveyed buy handsets worth less than 2,500 yuan (US$320), including 25 percent of users who go for low-end mobile phones costing less than 1,000 yuan. Less than 24 percent of the users would consider buying high-end handsets that cost more than 2,500 yuan, according to the survey.
Handset price will be a critical factor affecting the promotion of 3G services, said the China Center for Information Industry Development. The fact that the price of 3G mobile phones will initially be higher than 2G handsets will slow the spread of 3G services, said the report.
China has more than 455 million mobile users and the figure is rising by more than 5 million a month. The country has been preparing for the launch of 3G service for years and is expected to issue 3G licenses this year, as China has promised to provide 3G services before Olympic 2008 in Beijing.
The country's telecommunication regulators will take various measures to ensure the steady launching of the 3G project, according to Wang Xudong, minister of Information Industry (MII), at a recent teleconference on national information industry.
Experts believe that the MII will take this opportunity to regroup domestic telecommunication operators through 3G license issuance.
Encouraged by the imminent start of 3G program and possible merger or acquisition whereafter, the share price of China Unicom soared by 10 percent daily limit on the mainland market Wednesday, while China Netcom soared more than 30 percent in Hong Kong the same day.
It is expected that the total value of telecommunication service on the Chinese mainland will amount to 1.87 trillion yuan in 2007, a year-on-year growth of 23 percent, according to Wang.
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