Industry Analysis Case Study

Telecom Industry in China: The Metamorphosis

OR

Abstract:
China's tryst with telecommunications had been chronicled time and again due to the country's vast potential and a comparatively nascent industry. After Deng Xiaoping's regime ushered the country on the path of economic progress, the telecommunications industry was subjected to a series of reforms and regulations. While many of the policies were aimed to increase competition by breaking monopolies, the regulations barred the entry of private and foreign telecom operators. However, China's WTO (World Trade Organisation) accession came as a positive signal to private and foreign operators.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss how the telecom industry in China evolved over the years, though being under the state control
• To discuss the regulatory environment that prevails in China.

Keywords : Telecom industry in China, Fixed-line and mobile operators, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Netcom,Government and Business Environment Case Study, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), Ministry of Information Industry (MII), Regulation and competition, The monopoly and the split, TD-SCDMA (time division synchronous code division multiple access) and 3G, 3G licensing and infrastructure costs,Business Environment Case Study, The WTO (World Trade Organisation) implications, Personal handyphone system, Price wars and ARPU (average revenue per user)