|
China Mobile Started Network Expansion in Pakistan
(SinoCast China IT Week Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) BEIJING, June 08, SinoCast -- China Mobile Communications Corporation, the nation's largest mobile carrier by subscribers, has started investing in its wholly-owned overseas subsidiary CMPak Limited in a bid to expand networks in north Pakistan.
The network expansion includes General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH), and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), disclosed insiders.
China Mobile CEO and Chairman Wang Jianzhou said in May that the company would invest USD 400 million in Pakistan in infrastructure construction this year.
Alcatel Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd., a long-term partner of China Mobile, will provide part of the equipment for the mobile giant's Pakistan network expansion, confirmed the Shanghai-based company.
CMPak, which was formerly known as Paktel, was the fifth- largest mobile phone carrier in Pakistan. As of October 2006, Paktel had had 1.56 million users and taken a 3.5 percent of the Pakistani market.
At the beginning of this year, the Chinese mobile operator announced an 89.86 percent stake acquisition in Paktel for USD 284 million. Later, it purchased the rest 10.14 percent stake and renamed Paktel as CMPak, signifying the company's first overseas expansion and start of its strategic overseas expansions.
Now, China Mobile has appointed Guo Yonghong, the former general manager for China Mobile Guizhou business in southwest China, as chief executive officer of CMPak.
The acquisition of Paktel is China Mobile's first overseas expansion. Its ultimate goal is to grow into the most excellent mobile services provider to make its business available in every corner of Pakistan and provide top-class services to Pakistani customers, expressed Guo.
China Mobile, currently the only foreign telecoms carrier in Pakistan, has said that it planned to build 2,500 new base stations in the country within three or four years, and to make itself be very competitive in that market.
Having a population of 160 million, Pakistan is one of the world's fastest-growing communications markets, with young users taking up a significant portion.
As early as September 2006, Wang Jianzhou had said that China Mobile's overseas expansion strategy would aim at the world's emerging markets, namely countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, rather than North America and West Europe.
He also recently revealed that the company intended to acquire some mobile businesses in Africa and Southeast Asia.
However, he did not disclose more details of the deals.
Copyright 2007 Sinocast LLC, Source: The Financial Times Limited
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West, September 16-18, 2008. Los Angeles, California.
