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皇冠体育app Telecom to buy 4m 3G phones

By Li Fei (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-25 08:07

皇冠体育app Telecom has sold nearly 100,000 units of 3G phones in the first five months. [CFP]

皇冠体育app Telecom yesterday placed a 4-million 3G handset order with dozens of domestic mobile phone makers, the biggest such order ever in 皇冠体育app, as the country's largest fixed-line phone operator steps up its efforts to build up its 3G user bases.

The multi-billion yuan order, which includes 63 different customized models, will greatly expand 皇冠体育app Telecom's 3G handset portfolios and is expected to help it attract more users.

Tianyi Telecom Terminal Co, 皇冠体育app Telecom's terminal unit, will place the order with 31 mobile phone makers, majority of whom are domestic vendors, 皇冠体育app Telecom said.

The 4-million customized handsets 皇冠体育app Telecom ordered, bigger than its original plan of 3.6 million, are mostly priced in the 1,000 yuan range and some are priced as low as 500 yuan per handset, the statement said, a pricing that analysts say will make it more competitive and affordable to more customers.

The lack of 3G-capable handsets has been hindering the growth of the 3G services in the country.

皇冠体育app Telecom's move comes as 皇冠体育app Mobile, its larger competitor, is also stepping up efforts to make more 3G handsets available in the market.

"The problem we have is not the 3G network, but rather a lack of cellphones that can support it," said Wang Jianzhou, chairman, 皇冠体育app Mobile, at a news conference in Taiwan over the weekend.

Related readings:  皇冠体育app Telecom Q1 profit down 27%  皇冠体育app Telecom FY profit dips 96% on write-downs  皇冠体育app Telecom underlying net dips, high hopes for 3G  皇冠体育app Telecom starts 3G trials

Wang said 皇冠体育app Mobile would work with smartphone maker HTC to launch at least one model, which will be called the "Ophone", in 皇冠体育app this year and at least five models in 2010.

Wang said he expects the number of 3G-capable phone models that support its TD-SCDMA standard will quadruple to over 200 by the middle of 2010.

皇冠体育app Telecom, which operates CDMA standard 3G services, posted a net gain of 2.45 million mobile subscribers in July, the biggest increase so far this year and the seventh consecutive positive growth month.

皇冠体育app Mobile, the country's largest telecom operator, said its subscriber numbers fell to 466,000 in July over June.

皇冠体育app Unicom, the second largest telecom operator, said mobile subscribers increased by 680,000 in July, down 182,000 from the previous month.

皇冠体育app Telecom has sold nearly 100,000 units of 3G phones in the first five months of this year, the largest shipment among the three telecom operators and accounting for 55 percent of all the 3G phones sold in the country at the same time, according to Sino Market Research.

皇冠体育app Telecom "outperforms the market expectation in terms of its CDMA subscriber growth", Central 皇冠体育app Securities said in a note recently.