China encourages small and medium-sized enterprises to set foot in
the value-added telecommunications market, said a senior official
in charge of information industry administration on 22nd september.
"This is not an expedient measure, it is a long-term strategy
beneficial to the healthy development of the information industry,
" said Zhang Chunjiang, vice minister of the Information
Industry, in a keynote speech delivered to a symposium on the
value-added telecommunications service.
"On one hand, we value the major role large telecom enterprises
play in the national economic development, on the other hand, the
participation of small and medium-sized telecom businesses should
be given sufficient emphasis," he noted.
Statistics show that there are more than 3,000 small and medium-
sized enterprises operating value-added telecommunications
businesses on the Chinese mainland.
Zhang said that although competition does exist between major
telecom enterprises running basic telecom services and those
running value-added telecom services, in most cases, the latter
complements and enriches the former.
Such enterprises will offer colorful and personalized services to
meet diversified needs, while on the other hand, their
participation will help basic telecom giants lower costs, avoid
risks and sharpen their competitiveness, participants to the
symposium said.
According to the regulations on telecommunications administration
promulgated by the State Council last September, telecommunications
services are divided into two categories, namely the basic
telecommunications services and value-added services.
The former includes local phone-calls, domestic long-distance
phone-calls, international phone services and mobile phone
services, while the latter covers Internet content supply, e-mail,
databases, fax, and teleconference services.
( 09/23/2001)