Telecom Lead Asia: Mobile giant China Telecom will
increase its capital expenditure by 9 percent to $8.54 billion in 2012.
China Telecom reported $2.6 billion profit in 2011. Its
Revenue rose 11.7 percent to $39.5 billion.
China Telecom’s revenues for its mobile service increased 43
percent last year and became the biggest single component of its business.
Revenue for fixed-line voice service fell 20.4 percent compared with 2010.
The company’s mobile subscribers rose 39.7 percent from a
year earlier to 126 million. The portion of those subscribers using fast
third-generation services more than doubled to 36.3 million.
At present, 3G service is entering a phase of accelerated
growth and will grow explosively. Wireline broadband service is still in a
period of high growth,” said chairman and CEO Wang Xiaochu in a statement.
In February, China Telecom signed a deal with Apple sell
iPhones in China, the world’s biggest mobile phone market with almost 1 billion
subscribers. Apple previously had an exclusive distribution deal with China
Unicom.
China Telecom subsidiary to increase presence in American
mobile market
Recently, CT Americas, an international subsidiary of China
Telecom, decided to explore the US retail market in 2012. In January, CT
Americas launched its branded mobile service in Chicago. The cell phones with
this branded mobile service will carry one SIM card with two numbers: one
Chinese and one US cell number.
The new service is targeting frequent business travelers,
long-term visitors and students. The international calling rate will be lower
than US local operators, but slightly higher than a calling card. The company
will promote the services in Los Angeles and New York – major destinations for
Chinese visitors and where the majority of Chinese-Americans live.
