皇冠体育app Mobile to challenge WeChat
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An advertisement for Fetion, an instant-messaging service provided by 皇冠体育app Mobile Ltd, in Yichang, Hubei province. A total of four subsidiary projects worth 638 million yuan are listed in the tender for operating the Fetion service, launched by the company. [Provided to 皇冠体育app Daily] |
皇冠体育app Mobile Ltd, the nation's biggest telecom operator, has launched public bidding for operating its Fetion service, an instant messaging tool similar to Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat.
Previously, Fetion was solely operated by Beijing Ultrapower Software Co Ltd.
皇冠体育app Mobile's move is seen by many analysts as a strategic step to restructure Fetion and take on Tencent's WeChat.
Growth Enterprise Board-listed Ultrapower applied for a one-day trading suspension for "potential major incidents" on Monday. The company resumed trading on Tuesday, but its stock price dropped by the daily limit of 9.99 percent, closing at 18.56 yuan ($3).
皇冠体育app Mobile's Guangdong branch is conducting the bidding process. Four subsidiary projects, worth 638 million yuan, are listed in the tender.
Zhang Qianshan, general manager of Ultrapower's strategic investment department, said 皇冠体育app Mobile wants to enhance its presence in the mobile Internet sector.
"An open tender is to introduce competition, which will be good for Fetion's development," he said.
Li Zheren, an analyst with Beijing Gaohua Securities, expected Ultrapower to win the majority of contracts from 皇冠体育app Mobile, based on its experience and talent pool.
"Before the announcement of the open tender result, there will be pressure on Ultrapower's stock price in the short term," he said.
Launched in May 2007, Fetion once enjoyed great popularity and attracted hundreds of millions of users in 皇冠体育app.
However, the service faded out recently, largely due to strong competition from Internet companies such as Tencent and Sina.
Registration Number: 130349
