China's fixed-line and mobile groups in co-operation pact
China's leading fixed-line telephone operator and the country's biggest mobile service provider have signed a “strategic co-operation” agreement to promote benign competition and prevent infrastructure duplication.
The pact between China Telecom and wireless operator China Mobile appears to be an attempt to ease government concerns about overly fierce competition between the state-owned but overseas-listed companies that control the country's telecommunications sector.
There has been speculation that Beijing might break up China Unicom, the number-two mobile operator, and divide its two wireless networks between China Telecom and smaller fixed-line rival China Netcom.
Mobile and Telecom were part of China's old telecommunications monopoly, which the government split up to promote competition. Officials fear that inter-operator rivalry may undermine the sector's long-term health.
Some officials fear that granting licences for third-generation mobile services to the four big state-controlled operators could mean massive overspending as each rushes to build a 3G network.
Beijing has reinforced control over operators, reshuffling senior management teams late last year.
China Telecom said the “strategic partnership framework agreement” signed with Mobile last week would lead to “more regular market operations” and would “expand rational competition”.
The two sides promised to “use resources reasonably and [to] avoid duplicated construction”, but gave no details.
Officials at the operators had no comment, however the agreement also hinted at efforts to settle outstanding disputes.
Although China Telecom is officially only a fixed-line operator, in recent years it has aggressively promoted cheap, short-range Personal Access System wireless networks that compete directly with Mobile's services and have won tens of millions of subscribers.
China Mobile has retaliated by offering cut-price rates for telephones that look and feel like conventional fixed-line phones but use its wireless network.
Such action has underlined the weakness of Chinese telecoms market regulation as well as the fiercely competitive approach taken by provincial networks, often only loosely controlled by operators' top management.
China Telecom said that by the alliance agreement with Mobile, senior executives would meet regularly to discuss co-operation, and provincial companies would push specific projects.
中国电信与中国移动“战略协议”: 避免过度竞争
中国电信(China Telecom)和中国移动(China Mobile)签署了一项“战略合作”协议，以推动良性竞争，避免基础设施重复建设。中国电信是中国领先的固定电话运营商，中国移动是中国最大的移动通信服务供应商。
中国政府担心主导电信行业的这两家公司陷入过度竞争。中国电信和移动运营商中国移动的协议，看来是缓解政府担心的一种努力。这两家公司都是国有企业，但在海外上市。
外界猜测，中国政府可能会分拆中国联通(China Unicom)，将其两个无线网络分给中国电信和较小的固定电话竞争对手中国网通(China Netcom)。联通是中国第二大移动电话运营商。
中国移动和中国电信过去都是中国通信垄断企业的一部分，后被中国政府分拆以促进竞争。官员们担心，运营商之间的竞争可能会破坏该行业的长期健康发展。
一些官员担心，向国家控制的四大电信运营商颁发第三代移动通信服务牌照，可能意味着大规模的超支，因为这四家都想赶着建设3G网络。
中国政府加强了对运营商的控制，去年年末重组了这些公司的高层管理团队。
中国电信表示，上周与中国移动签订的“战略合作框架协议”，将使双方“进一步规范市场行为”，并“开展理性竞争”。
双方承诺要“合理利用资源，避免重复建设”，但没有给出具体细节。
两家运营商的官员没有发表评论，然而该协议也暗示，双方将作出努力，协商解决存在的争议。
尽管中国电信在严格意义上只是一家固定电话运营商，但最近几年它一直在积极推广廉价的短距离“小灵通”(Personal Access System)无线网络。该网络直接与中国移动的服务竞争，并赢得了数千万用户。
作为报复，中国移动推出了看上去象传统固定电话、实际上使用其无线网络的电话机，并提供优惠费率。
这些行动突出表明了中国电信市场监管上的弱点，以及省级网络所采取的激烈竞争手段。各电信运营商的最高管理层对省级网络往往只有松散的控制。
中国电信表示，根据与中国移动的战略合作协议，双方的高层领导将定期会晤，协商合作事宜，而省级公司将推进具体项目。
