bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

China Mobile, the world's biggest wireless network operator, has confirmed it is working on setting up an internet company, ending months of speculation.
Chief executive Li Yue verified the move in Guangzhou yesterday, but did not elaborate.
The traditional mobile-telephone market is reaching saturation on the mainland with more than one billion subscribers, according to official statistics.
Internet companies are nibbling away at the market of telecommunications operators because some services China Mobile offers can be replaced by internet technology. For example, online mobile messaging has made the short message service costly and old-fashioned.
Independent industry analyst Xiang Ligang said the move showed China Mobile's determination to tap into the fast-growing mobile internet industry.
"Mobile internet is the trend and will bring lots of benefits for everyone involved," Xiang said. "But I'm not so sure about China Mobile's adventure here."
He said the major advantage China Mobile had was the huge user pool it had gathered from its business. However, it would be a tough task for a telecommunications operator to adjust itself to the internet business. "You have the genes in you [to run a telecoms business] that won't change," he said.
China Mobile had 698.5 million subscribers at the end of September - more than twice the population of the United States.
You Tianyu, a senior analyst at iResearch, said the company could transform subscribers into users of mobile internet services, especially in the fields of music-sharing, online games and mobile reading.
"In fact, China Mobile has launched some mobile services in the past several years, for example Feixin, a mobile instant messaging service," You said.
He said the carrier had also set up a base in Guangzhou to develop internet products, with other bases around the country. It has been reported that the China Mobile internet company will include the operator's internet bases. Currently, the bases operate under the provincial offices of China Mobile.


China applies to put 200,000 satellites in space after calling Starlink a crash risk

Chinese firms outpace US rivals in 2025 humanoid robot shipments, as AgiBot takes lead

China’s telecoms giants bet on AR smart glasses with major investment in RayNeo

China’s AgiBot targets US$142 million revenue as march of humanoid robots gathers pace

China Mobile

China Mobile to branch into internet business

China Mobile is the world's biggest wireless network operator, with 698.5 million subscribers at the end of September. Photo: Bloomberg

Business

China Business

Telecoms giant confirms forming internet venture amid saturated mobile-phone market


Internet

China Mobile to branch into internet business

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Telecoms giant confirms forming internet venture amid saturated mobile-phone market

Telecoms giant confirms forming internet venture amid saturated mobile-phone market