Greater China

TeleGeography reports that China Telecom subsidiary Beijing Telecom has announced that its nascent CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network in the capital is 'virtually ready' for commercial use.

China's third-largest mobile operator China Telecom has said that full-year profits for 2008 could "decline significantly" from the previous year due to it writing-off the value of its 'Xiaolingtong' low-cost mobile network, reports the Financial Times (FT).

China's third-largest mobile operator China Telecom today reported an expected huge drop in 2008 net profits but set some ambitious targets for future growth of its 3G network.

China Unicom - the country's second-largest operator that is on the verge of launching 3G WCDMA services - has announced a 58 percent increase in full-year 2008 net profit, boosted by a one-time gain from the sale of its CDMA business to China Telecom.

China Mobile and China Telecom today reported a diverse set of first-quarter results. China Mobile, the world's largest operator by subscribers, said its first-quarter profit rose 5.2 percent but growth slowed due to China's economic slowdown and stronger competition.

Alcatel-Lucent has strengthened its presence in China by striking new deals with existing customers China Mobile and China Telecom, worth a total of US$1.7 billion. Both deals cover "network upgrades, integration and maintenance services in 2009."

Telecompaper reports that Cisco has signed framework agreements with China Telecom, China Mobile, China Construction Bank and others at the China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue held in Washington DC on 27 April.