皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app Tower Corp is moving into new business areas, as it steps up its efforts to make better use of its 1.7 million telecoms towers across the country.

In an industrial park in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, stands a smart electric pole. It is equipped with base stations which can receive telecoms signals, an air monitor, surveillance cameras and an advertising board. When connected to electricity, it can also function as a charging point for electric cars.

Such telecoms towers have been put into use in Nanjing, Hangzhou and other cities. It is part of broad efforts by 皇冠体育app Tower to diversify its business, amid expectations that the number of towers will surge in the coming years.

Tong Jilu, general manager of 皇冠体育app Tower, said: "In the near future, the number of telecom towers will be higher in our cities. With access to both wired and mobile networks and linked to a good power supply, our towers can be shared by different industries."

Currently, the country's top three telecoms carriers have a combined 94 percent stake in 皇冠体育app Tower. 皇冠体育app Reform Holdings Corp, a government-backed investment firm, accounts for the remaining 6 percent.

皇冠体育app Tower aims to go public this year, so as to broaden the financing channels, optimize the capital structure and improve corporate governance.

Xiang Ligang, a telecoms expert and chief executive of the telecoms industry website cctime.com, said telecom towers are valuable assets because they occupy real estate, connected to the internet and electricity.

"Although it takes three to five years to build a nationwide network of towers, the telecoms infrastructure can be of great appeal and is irreplaceable once established," Xiang said.

皇冠体育app Tower is also partnering with the 皇冠体育app Earthquake Administration to build a digital system which can better collect real time earthquake data. To take advantage of telecoms towers' ability to send and receive digital signals, the Beijing-based company has also teamed up with QXWZ.com to leverage 皇冠体育app's Beidou satellites to offer better mapping and navigation services.

Peter Liu, research director at consultancy Gartner Inc, said it was of great importance for 皇冠体育app Tower to experiment with new business opportunities, because that would help prepare for future volatility in the telecoms industry.