Communicating changes
May 09, 2009 | BY
clpstaff &clp articlesChina has recently taken several significant steps to speed up the development of a more uniform and modern regulatory framework for its telecoms industry. By Damien Bailey, Simmons & Simmons.
[Click here for full translation.]
In May 2008, one of the largest industrial re-organisations in the telecoms industry saw China's telecommunications operators reduced from six to three – China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, spanning mobile, fixed and broadband services, respectively. The re-organisation was the fourth since China opened its telecoms industry to domestic competition.
A few months later, in September, the State Council issued revised regulations on foreign-invested telecommunications enterprises (its Provisions for the Administration of Foreign-invested Telecommunications Enterprises (Revised)/国务院外商投资电信企业管理规定 (修订)).The regulations update legislation brought into force in 2002 and have been introduced to provide incentives for foreign investment.
At the start of 2009, long-awaited 3G licences were awarded to China Mobile (home-grown, TD-SCDMA standard), China Unicom (WCDMA standard) and China Telecom (CDMA2000 standard) paving the way for investments of around Rmb200 billion (US$29.3 billion) from the three operators.
This premium content is reserved for
China Law & Practice Subscribers.
A Premium Subscription Provides:
- A database of over 3,000 essential documents including key PRC legislation translated into English
- A choice of newsletters to alert you to changes affecting your business including sector specific updates
- Premium access to the mobile optimized site for timely analysis that guides you through China's ever-changing business environment
Already a subscriber? Log In Now