China Telecom Bundles Free Internet 3G Subscription Plans
The South China Morning Post is reporting that China Telecom Corp Ltd, through its Beijing subsidiary (Beijing Telecom), will offer free mobile Internet usage to mobile subscribers who sign up before Jul. 30th. China Telecom will also reduce local call fees (now between RMB 0.11 and RMB 0.19), down 72% for subscribers to new monthly packages – between RMB 49 and RMB 189.
China Telecom’s “free” mobile Internet and reduced call rates are clearly designed to boost 3G services consumption and gain more market share. China Telecom’s 3G network has a coverage rate of more than 98% in urban areas in Beijing.
According to a source quoted in the SCMP, China Telecom’s CDMA2000 3G network rollout will proceed rapidly in Beijing and Guangdong. China Telecom is aiming to introduce its upgraded 3G service in Beijing and Guangdong as early as this month.
Now the 64 million yuan question … Will Apple develop a CDMA2000 3G (EV-DO) iPhone for China Telecom and go after the relatively affluent urban Netizens that China Telecom is targeting through their new bundled data/call plans in Beijing and new eSurfing plans in Shanghai?
