Here comes 4G…

While the 3G licences have finally been announced by the State Council, attention is already turning to the next generation of mobile telephony. China Mobile has publicly announced a development strategy for 4G TD-LTE networks – 60% of its capital investment will be put into 4G over the next few years.

So is the operator “blessed” with the locally-developed 3G standard (TD-SCDMA) trying to leapfrog technology? Not quite. While TD-SCDMA keeps receiving wide criticism the sandards for LTE still have to be finalized. China Mobile will also have to defend its current market share (more than 60%) against a poweful newcome (China Telecom). That said it is always useful to start occupying the landscape with early announcement sending competition into strategic discussions. The company may also be trying to put pressure on the manufacturers to get lower costs.

P.S.: On a recent tour of the China Mobile headquarter in Beijing, I noticed that the LTE corner was already set up but the guide was unable to answer any question related to LTE…

Experience the Chinese Internet

Want experiencing the Net as a PRC internet user? The Firefox add-on China Channel offers internet user outside China to surf the web as if they were in China. Take an unforgetable virtual trip to China and experience the technical expertise of the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry (supported by western companies). It’s open source, free and easy
To download the add-on, click here

Creative Chinese insurance

China Unicom, the Nr. 2 mobile operator, recently aunched a new personal-computer (PC) insurance with PICC and Kingsoft (respectively an insurance and software company) against virus threats. They will offer up to RMB 5,000 (USD 731) coverage against debilitating virus attack on PCs for a premium of RMB15 per month (USD 2).

The new insurance service is available only to China Unicom mobile-phone subscribers.

Red Cross Society of China Launches Official Mobile Site

In response to the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake, dotMobi [the company behind the .mobi Internet domain name for locating content that works on mobile phones] has collaborated with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) to create a mobile Web site at http://chinaredcross.mobi.The mobile Web site allows the RCSC to ensure information on supporting relief efforts for earthquake victims reaches the widest possible audience. With more than 600 million mobile users (at least 3 times more than PC-based Internet users), mobile phones are (and will remain for some time) the de facto media to communicate in China. Mobile Web sites are also receiving increased attention from governments and businesses due to the improvement of mobile Internet content.

P.S.: The .mobi domain name seems to have gained more popularity in China than in any other country. China has registered 80,000 .mobi domain names, accounting for 10% of the worldwide total. .mobi has become even hotter on the black market, where invest.mobi eventually sold for US$22,500, substantially more than the initial RMB450 (US$64) registration fee. In fact, the popularity of .mobi is now second only to .com.

Sneak (Korean) preview of Olympic opening ceremony

It looks like a Korean TV crew managed to have a peek at a rehearsal of the opening ceremony…. Check it out here.

P.S.: Design and production teams and the thousands of cast members had been required to sign confidentiality agreements. Breaches are punishable by up to seven years jail.

Customer satisfaction?

The Beijing Airport is trying to get feedback from the passengers. But this very commendable initiative is just slightly biased…. since you can vote before being granted entry and receiving your passport back from the Customs’ officer.

As you can see, in addition to voting you can even leave a “voice” comment. Can you imagine complaining to the machine right in front of the officer?

Web-based role-playing game to learn…Chinese

Ever wanted to learn Chinese? If so, rush to Zon!

To make sure that you get the real feel for China, your avatar first arrives as a tourist in Beijing Airport’s Customs zone (I must have been unlucky since each time I arrived it was a bit more crowded than in the game). You will then move on to the airport’s lobby, to the hotel lobby and finally to the streets! At the different stages, players encounter quests, have access to learning materials — including live Chinese tutors — and are able to organize and participate in social activities. The game even comes with some kind of traditional Chinese music.

The overall goal for the player is to fare well and advance socially and economically, with players moving from “tourists” to “residents” and finally to “citizens” of modern China – note that becoming a Chinese citizen is a rare feat for foreigners and usually a great honour. Let’s hope that the developers enhance the game to include a trip to the Olympic Stadium or to Lhassa…

China’s Premier Debuts on Facebook

A supporter of China’s prime minister, Wen Jiabao, has set up a page on Facebook. His page already has close to 25,000 fans (as of May 29, 6PM GMT) underlining his growing popularity in the aftermath of the earthquake – Mr. Wen drew much praise when he flew to Sichuan in the hours after the earthquake and traveled around to hard-hit towns to express sympathy with victims. It is unclear who the supporter is and whether he or she has ties to the government since there has been no official comment by the government in the official media.

Want to be Wen’s pal and help him catch up with Obama’s 800’000+ supporters, go to Facebook…

Count:
- 45’000 as of June 3
- 50’000 as of June 13
- 55’000 as of July 30

Mobile message from the grave

A month ago the mother of Chen, who lived in a village in Anzhuang, Feicheng, Shandong Province died. As a filial son, Chen bought a Nokia to bury with her. He made sure the phone was charged, and he installed the phone chip his mother had used while she was alive. This symbolized that he could contact his mother in heaven any time he wished.

A few days ago, Chen accidentally dialed his mother’s phone number, which was still stored in his own mobile phone. He heard a busy signal. Thinking he had mis-dialed, he called again, and the line was still busy. Chen broke out into a cold sweat. He made an inquiry at the mobile company the following day. And found that the mobile phone had racked up a month’s worth of charges after his mother had died.

After they made a report to the Anzhuang station of the Feicheng PSB, an investigation started. The phone’s call record showed that a certain Mr. Sun, a 62-year-old villager, was the prime suspect in the case. In the face of iron-clad evidence, Sun bowed his head and admitted his guilt. He confessed to digging up the grave, stealing the mobile phone and making use of it.

Source: Qilu Evening News