China Unicom Chairman: Looking to Tie Up With Hong Kong Partner for 3G

BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- China Unicom is interested in joining with a Hong Kong partner to operate third-generation wireless technology in the territory, Chairman Chang Xiaobing said Monday.

Chang's remarks came as his firm, the smaller of the mainland's two mobile operators, issued a statement Monday saying it didn't submit a bid for a CDMA 3G license in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's telecom's regulator, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority took bids starting last week and plans to auction a license by the end of October.

Chang, speaking during a briefing to reporters during the Communist Party congress, said a second option for China Unicom would be to tie up with an operator in Hong Kong that wins a 3G license.

Chang said the tie up could include a capital investment.

China Unicom operates second-generation mobile phone networks based on CDMA and GSM standards in mainland China.

-By Aaron Back, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 6588-5848; Aaron.back@dowjones.com

(Lorraine Look in Hong Kong contributed to this story.)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Posted to the site on 15th October 2007