China - Mobile Communications - Voice and Data Services

Synopsis

As the world’s largest mobile communications market, China has some interesting operators. China Mobile is the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers. Fixed-line operators China Telecom and China Netcom pose a serious threat to China Mobile and China Unicom with their Little Smart limited mobility services. The range and quality of value-added services offered by the operators becomes important in determining market success. This report looks at mobile voice services (prepaid cards, satellite mobile services and roaming services) and data services such as SMS, MMS, WAP, GPRS, PTT, EDGE and data services based on CDMA2000 1x. Some popular mobile applications are also reviewed.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Mobile voice services
  
  • 2.1 Prepaid cards (SIM and PIM cards)
    
  • 2.2 Satellite mobile
    
• 3. Mobile data services
  
  • 3.1 Market overview
    
  • 3.2 Short Message Service (SMS)
    
    • 3.2.1 MobNIC (Mobile Network Information Centre)
      
  • 3.3 Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
    
  • 3.4 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
    
  • 3.5 General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
    
  • 3.6 Push-to-Talk (PTT)
    
  • 3.7 Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE)
    
  • 3.8 Broadband wireless data services
    
  • 3.9 Mobile TV
    
    • 3.9.1 Overview
      
    • 3.9.2 Market Size
      
    • 3.9.3 Mobile TV Standards
      
    • 3.9.4 Next Steps
      
• 4. Mobile applications
  
  • 4.1 Market overview
    
  • 4.2 A Surge in New Applications Development
    
  • 4.3 Global positioning systems (GPS)
    
  • 4.4 M-commerce
    
  • 4.5 Mobile gaming
    
  • 4.6 Instant Message (IM) search services
    
  • 4.7 Ringtones
    
  • 4.8 Mobile Music
    
  • 4.9 Mobile Internet
    
  • 4.10 Push email
    
• 5. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Prepaid mobile subscribers by operator –2008
• Table 2 – China Unicom postpaid versus prepaid mobile subscribers by network – 2004 - 2008
• Table 3 – China Mobile postpaid versus prepaid mobile subscribers – 2004 - 2008
• Table 4 – Mobile data revenues – top three countries – 1H 2008
• Table 5 – China Mobile mobile data service user growth – 2004 - 2008
• Table 6 – China Mobile and China Unicom mobile VAS revenue – 2008
• Table 7 – China Mobile Value Added Business revenue breakdown – 2006 - 2008
• Table 8 – China Mobile VAS revenue breakdown (selected items) – 2006 - 2008
• Table 9 – China Mobile VAS subscribers (selected items) – 2006 - 2008
• Table 10 – Growth of text messages (SMS) in China and annual change – 2000 – 2008
• Table 11 – China Mobile SMS usage volume and annual change – 2003 – 2008
• Table 12 – China Unicom SMS usage by network and annual change – 2005 - 2008
• Table 13 – CNNIC WAP usage report – March 2007