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China Telecom Mulls Entry Into US Telecoms Market
hackingbear excerpts from a story at Engadget: "Instead of resting on its laurels as China's third-largest wireless provider, China Telecom is now looking to branch out into relatively uncharted waters — namely, the U.S. consumer market. ... The proposed service would provide customers with handsets that could be used in both China and the U.S., theoretically appealing to Chinese-Americans, students or businessmen who travel frequently between the two countries ... and would even consider purchasing or constructing its own network in the States,' with the 'capacity to spend 'hundreds of millions or billions' on stateside acquisitions.' At its home turf, despite being a state-owned company, China Telecom, along with China Unicom, is being investigated over alleged monopolistic practices by the Chinese government. The two companies would face penalties of up to 10 percent of their annual business revenues if they were found guilty of monopolistic practices. This is the first such investigation into China's large enterprises since the Anti-Monopoly Law came into effect in 2008."
Certainly more competition is good, especially in the mobile phone market where there's barely any.
But to trust a phone service from a country known for stifling free speech... I think you'd have to be a little crazy.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
I'm Mao Tse-Tung, and I approve this message.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Wait, how is that "Chinese == bad"? The summary merely states that China Telecom is being investigated for monopolistic practices. That's a fact, not an opinion.
-- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
says angry chinese astro turfier.
Well if you can't conquer them, buy them out. It always works.
Go China, maybe US customers will have a hint of good competition in the market place for once.
Am I the only one that T-mobile came to mind? I mean if AT&T can't make a deal with them, I'm sure China Telecom would have the $.
I'm glad China is trying to clean up the corruption in their system, but there's little point if they don't allow competing political parties. An investigation of a state owned company by the state is somewhat suspicious in a democratic system, but when there's only one party, it's goddamn pointless.
-- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
At its home turf, despite being a state-owned company, China Telecom, along with China Unicom, is being investigated over alleged monopolistic practices by the Chinese government.
Sounds like it would fit right in here.
The two companies would face penalties of up to 10 percent of their annual business revenues if they were found guilty of monopolistic practices.
Wait, they might actually get punished? Never mind then, won't fit into the U.S. market.
I was going to say something about not trusting a Chinese-government-owned telecoms company, but then I realized who their competition is.
They'll need to be seriously cheap to overcome the power of Yellow Peril 2.0. Or name themselves Freedom Eagle Bacon Gun-tel.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
The worry is that they'd tap your calls and send everything back to China.
Yep, I know, the USofA may already be tapping your calls.
China Telecom, along with China Unicom, is being investigated over alleged monopolistic practices.
This shows that they are well prepared to be a telecom company in the US.
The idea that China cheats at business and now, they want to use monopoly status in China to come over to the west. This is SUCH a good idea.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Actually, if they're being investigated for monopolistic practices, that equates to "Chinese == good". I wish the government here in the USA bothered to investigate alleged monopolistic practices. When was the last time that happened here?
When this happens, I'm there. I'll be their first customer.
This looks to the future where China manages all US infrastructure. Where will it end? One can only imagine.
Chinese management and control of the power grid? Water/sewer? National highway repair? Health care?
For all the bad things people will point out, the sum total is that people will get much better services for the money. The Chinese motivation for doing things in an expert, professional manner will more than compensate for the loss of government control.
Your trade is for a government which grants a lot of freedoms, and a government which curtails some of your freedoms (but generally leaving you alone) in a world where all the services run perfectly. And the freedoms granted in the first case seem to be evaporating in any event.
The Chinese couldn't be *that* much worse than the US, and for good infrastructure I'm willing to take the chance.
It used to be "bread and circuses", now it's "Chinaman steal your jobs while Muslim bomb your suburban homes".
The worry is that they'd tap your calls and send everything back to China.
Who cares? Even if the government is not tapping calls already, some network engineer could be listening in for fun on any phone provider you are already using.
Phone conversations are about the least secure form of communication these days; treat it as such.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The people have the freedom, and grant the government specific powers.
At least how the system was set up to be. YMMV
They investigate all the time, but almost without exception* they take no action.
*There have been some notable exceptions in the past, but nothing I know of in the last 10 years.
I've lived in China, and found it to be cheap but crappy for internet, but good *and* cheap for mobiles. Support was clueless, but they tried to make an effort. By effort, I mean, came onsight to figure out what was wrong with my configuration. By clueless, I mean, they couldn't figure out why a Mac couldn't use crappy Windows dialing software. For Chinese Windows, they'd probably be pretty good.
As opposed to Australia, where you don't even get cheap, and mobile reception sucks; and support is often a guy in a developing country who takes half an hour to answer the phone, and lacks training. Because obviously telecommuters in developing countries are just too expensive to train properly, and you don't want to hire so many of them that they might be able to twiddle their thumbs between customers.
China Telecom Mulls Entry Into US Telecoms Market
No problem. But China Telecom must do so through a joint venture where they only get 49% ownership and their partners with 51% must be domestic US companies. I'm sure China Telecom will understand how this is the manner in which to invest in a foreign country while tailoring operations to the foreign culture and history and thereby maximizing success. A win-win for everyone right?
Finally a telecom company that has lots of experience working with the government.
Your trade is for a government which grants a lot of freedoms, and a government which curtails some of your freedoms (but generally leaving you alone) in a world where all the services run perfectly.
Okay. I must take issue with "generally leaving you alone." This is utter and complete bullshit. When the recent news is that 39 of the largest companies in China are agreeing to begin their own censorship initiatives under guidance of the Chinese government I have to ask you one question: If you were to give any political party in America complete control of what comes in and out of our TVs, Radios, Computers, Cellphones, etc how many Americans do you think it is going to affect?
Let's say you got lucky and you agree with the Communist Party. Okay, so that's "generally leaving you alone"? Or is it completely prohibiting you from ever being exposed to any information -- no matter how true or false or unverified -- that could give you a second thought about your party line?
Let me be the first to say that the second such a scenario affects anyone of my countrymen, I am no longer being left alone. Censorship for the sole interests of a political regime is unacceptable.
Here's a "rumor" for you: The United States government will readily murder non-citizens for oil. Is it true? Who cares? I just said it! Try saying anything like that about the Chinese government while you're on their little telecom service and enjoy your slow decline as you are forced to view the world through their custom-made-ever-shifting looking glass.
My work here is dung.
It's not tolerable to KNOW that the NSA, CIA, FBI, and our local police can listen in without warrant or our knowledge.
It's idiotic to add Chinese espionage to the mix.
Luke, help me take this mask off
a somewhat already saturated market
I have to disagree that the market is saturated. In a competitive market, prices are driven toward the cost of production (plus a normal return on investment) since competitors will undercut each other to get business until they reach that point. Without sufficient competition that doesn't happen, and pricing reflects profit maximization -- i.e., companies charge the most that consumers are willing to pay and reap substantial profits. With U.S. telecoms charging $0.10 for text messages when it costs virtually nothing (certainly not $0.10 or even $0.05) to provide the service, I would say we are quite far from saturation.
China Telecom Mulls Entry Into US Telecoms Market
No problem. But China Telecom must do so through a joint venture where they only get 49% ownership and their partners with 51% must be domestic US companies. I'm sure China Telecom will understand how this is the manner in which to invest in a foreign country while tailoring operations to the foreign culture and history and thereby maximizing success. A win-win for everyone right?
Oops. I forgot. China Telecom must also turn over the designs of their products to their US partners. This will allow for better adaptation and localization to the US market. Another win-win for everyone right?
Okay, you value freedom of speech very highly. It's a fair point.
Now let's see if your valuation of that right should be applied to everyone.
1) Would you sign an NDA preventing you from badmouthing a company, in return for universal health care from that company?
2) Would you sign that NDA if a parent were diagnosed with cancer?
3) Would you sign that NDA if *you* were diagnosed with cancer?
4) Would you prevent all others from signing that NDA, in those circumstances?
It's not quite as cut-and-dried as you make it out to be. Many people think speech should be restricted for subjects that they feel strongly about: hate speech, bullying speech, Fox News bias, and so on. The opinion that freedom of speech is priceless and immutable is not universal by a long shot.
Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that it's not the best choice for everyone.
When I was visiting my brothers in Georgia, we heard a news report that Ashville, NC had been labelled a "Cesspool of Sin" by one of the local legislators due to the large number of "hippies, liberals and textile artists". I can understand a cesspool of sin. I can't understand why a Chinese telecom company operating in the US is a good idea. What could possibly go wrong with tons of Chinese-owned communications equipment scattered around the country?
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
For all the bad things people will point out, the sum total is that people will get much better services for the money. The Chinese motivation for doing things in an expert, professional manner will more than compensate for the loss of government control.
You're joking, right? You seem to labor under the mistaken impression that the Chinese have replicated and scaled up the Japanese example of the '70's - '90's that you've likely familiar with. In reality, they're emulating the Japanese example of the '00's - '30's, featuring a rapid build up of manufacturing and infrastructure, while externalizing much of the cost of doing it "right".
That's not necessarily the "wrong" approach. Make it work now, make it work beautifully later is a path all OECD economies have trod at one point or another. "Have trod" being the operative phrase.
So, yes, the Chinese could be *that* much worse. Across the developing world, the tendency is to contract out to Chinese firms for infrastructure they're willing to cut corners on, but go for US, European, Korean, or Brazilian firms when they need it done right the first time.
Luke, help me take this mask off
"This is a move to gather intelligence."
In the consumer market? I don't think so.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
You think consumers, who have cell phone subscriptions, and pay the bill, don't have jobs ? You think the consumers, with cell phones, and jobs, don't have business conversations and connections ? You think the network call graph between parties doesn't reveal social group interactions ? Think again.
Put your net up, that went right over your head.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
"This is the first such investigation into China's large enterprises since the Anti-Monopoly Law came into effect in 2008."
Does anyone else get the impression China is in many ways like America about a century ago? Maybe their problems with pollution, labour rights, monopolies, etc, aren't so much reflections of its style of government, but rather common symptoms of competitive industralisation.
Probably they can mature faster than America, since communications and other technology (and examples from history) are so much more advanced now.
Maybe in 20 years they'll have labour unions and clear air and water.
(... for protesting, it's a lack of characters folks)
Though really you're on my list of guys to send a postcard to from State sayin' "Glad you're not here". The US pretends to tolerate a wee bit of grumbling, it's our national circus, but if someone really get rolling, they either need to make a couple friends in high places or a couple dollars in high places to avoid "4th hand retribution".
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Yes, look at all those Occupy folks we're carting off to internment camps.
I suppose if you wanted to be really ridiculous you could show me a handful who got arrested for actually breaking the law, and call that free speech supression....
Hiya Sir Limecat!
I mean me as in the "universal me", the non-visible protester. I've done a modest pro-rights campaign here for years now, but I almost always keep the tone down. But medium-soon I'll step on the wrong toe and that's it. That's the threat. It take a Canary Server to help mitigate that.
"Today I was not carted off to a Gulag by the Government. Today I was not carted off to a Gulag by the Government. Today I was not carted off to a Gulag by the Government. ... " ((Crickets))
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
Except complaining about getting carted off to the Gulag in the US doesnt raise awareness, it just makes everyone think youre a nutcase who lacks perspective.
If you want to raise awareness about the worst parts of government try, I dont know, complaining about actual, real problems.
so loud I woke up my wife and kids.
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
It did. Touche ;)