Qualcomm Inc (QCOM)

[khemara_qc]

Guangdong Unicom may launch PTT services at the end of May

Shanghai. (Interfax-China) - Guangdong Unicom, a subsidiary of China Unicom, may officially launch Push-to-Talk (PTT) services by the end of this May at the earliest, Cheng Xiao, an official from Guangdong Unicom's General Business Office, told Interfax in an interview.

Both China Unicom and China Mobile have been investigating the potential of PTT wireless services, which allow two mobile phones to form a connection without having to be relayed through a mobile network. Subsequently, PTT services are less expensive than mobile services and also require less electricity than mobile services. China Unicom and China Mobile both began PTT testing late last year, but China Unicom has moved more quickly in developing PTT services based on its CDMA network.

"Of all the subsidiaries under both China Unicom and China Mobile, I think Guangdong Unicom will be the first operator domestically to provide PTT service," Cheng said. "We will soon finish the public tendering we initiated this March to buy PTT solutions."

Guangdong Unicom's public tendering for PPT solutions has attracted vendors such as Qualcomm, Vas Telecom Technology and Motorola. However, no results have yet been released. Mobile phone makers, including Kyocera, ZTE, LG and Motorola, are also prepared to provide PTT enabled cell phones for the Chinese market.

One of the major problems facing PTT services in China, however, is interoperability between different PTT enabled mobile phones. Different brands of handsets may not be PTT compatible even when they are on the same network. Meanwhile, the Open Mobile Alliance is set to release unified technology standards for PTT services worldwide. Until this standard is broadly implemented, however, interoperability will persist as a problem for PTT services in China.





Guangdong Unicom may launch PTT services at the end of May

China's first moon probe to blast off in December 2006
Interfax China launches China Media Investment Report 2004
China makes significant progress, but some problems remain severe, according to UN report
Press: Japanese plane has been keeping close watch on Chinese gas field
Superbrands to produce list of China's top 100 brands
PetroChina announces 48.4% jump in 2003 profits, "best ever" since IPO
Viacom signs agreements with CCTV and SMG
China to invest USD 2 bln to improve Yangtze River's freight capacity by 2020
"Green energy" on agenda at Shanghai forum

http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Chin&pg=0&id=5707273&req=