After a long delay, China's much-awaited open up of its telecommunications industry is rising up the governmental agenda, according
to state media. Telecom in China is dominated by four main players: China Mobile and China Unicom are the sole service providers for mobile phones, and China Telecommunications and China Netcom dominate the fixed-line market.
A restructuring plan is apparently being drawn up to increase competition in this heavily regulated industry. The details remain oblique,
however, with Lou Qinjian, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of
Information Industry, promising only that: "Restructuring plans are coming in, providing different solutions."
Beijing-based financial magazine, Caijing, reports that the restructuring would mainly target more balanced development of the four
major operators. For private and foreign capital, entering China's
domestic telecommunications operational market is still "a mission impossible," the magazine says.
All
four of China's major companies make huge profits. In the first six
months of 2007, China Mobile made a profit of RMB37.9 bn, China Unicom
RMB5.65 bn, China Telecommunications earned RMB13.48 bn and China Netcom RMB6.71 bn.
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