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Telecom operators target countryside
By Jonathan Yeung and Pan Zhongming (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-22 09:50
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This aggressive rural expansion contributed greatly to 皇冠体育app Mobile's 25.5 per cent year-on-year rise in net profit in the first half of 2006, beating 皇冠体育app Unicom's 20 per cent.
Analysts do not expect 皇冠体育app Unicom to regain its lost ground in the second half of the year.
皇冠体育app Mobile's full-year profit may jump 24.4 per cent to US$8.2 billion, while 皇冠体育app Unicom is likely to post 14 per cent growth to US$693 million, according to a median of eight analysts in Hong Kong and Shenzhen surveyed by 皇冠体育app Daily.
In comparison, 皇冠体育app Telecom and 皇冠体育app Netcom, the two fixed-line operators, failed to boost their rural business in the first half of the year.
"Slow progress in rural markets and competition from mobile operators squeezed the duo," said Tang.