Network to link up Chinese worldwide
Hong Kong-listed China Motion Telecom has teamed up with Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies to build an international internet protocol-based network that will connect Chinese communities worldwide.
The so-called next generation network (NGN), at US$25 million, will shuttle voice, video and multimedia traffic between more than 10 countries.
Huawei executive vice-president William Xu said the network could be used for applications such as document transmissions and digital whiteboards, which allow employees in different locations to collaborate on a project.
The two companies plan to finish testing Huawei's equipment by October, and the network will be launched in phases, beginning at the end of the year. An initial investment of US$5 million is planned for the first phase, which will connect Hong Kong and the mainland and offer video and international direct dial through voice-over-internet protocol services. The network will target corporate customers.
China Motion executive vice-president David Chow said the applications developed with a Chinese-language interface could be easily modified to support other languages.
Huawei already has NGN customers in the United States and Singapore.
Telecommunications consultants Dittberner Associates ranked the company as the world's top supplier of next-generation voice equipment in the first quarter, with a market share of more than 31 per cent in voice-over-packet port shipments.
