Chinese telcos scrap domestic roaming charges
All three major telecom operators in China scrapped the long-criticized domestic roaming charges from September 1.
All three major telecom operators in China scrapped the long-criticized domestic roaming charges from September 1.
Chinese internet technology giants including Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent are likely to become the first batch of private investors with shares in government-owned telecom operators.
Three major Chinese telecom operators will automatically transfer consumers' unused data traffic to the following month, a move that echoes top officials' calls to lower telecom-related tariffs.
Telecommunication firms in China have unveiled stringent rules regarding unregistered phone numbers to support the country's crack down on phone scams and harassing text messages.
The world's biggest carrier by subscribers is also busy preparing to launch its RCS-based smartphones in a bid to combat OTT players like WeChat in China.
China Telecom also posted an Apple-style-like advertisement, with detailed specifications of the next-generation smartphone.
China Telecom said it will unlock the next-generation iPhone by supporting the SIM cards of the other two major telecom players in the market.
The three largest telcos will spin off part of their business into a jointly owned tower firm to coordinate tower facilities construction in China.
China's plan to impose a value-added tax (VAT) on telecom services since April will reportedly be postponed. This will be slight relief for carriers, whose profits worth of tens of billions yuan will be dented once it is implemented.
Industry stats indicate the number of greetings sent via SMS in China during the recent Lunar New Year might have dropped for the first time, as more users are turning to instant messaging apps like Weibo and WeChat.