China Mobile Seeking Roaming Deals in Taiwan

China Mobile says that it is in talks with Taiwan's three mobile networks to offer roaming services between the networks. China Mobile's chairman, Wang Jianzhou said: "I think we will work closer with Taiwan mobile phone operators to improve the mobile phone communication services across the strait,"

Any roaming deal would be limited to GSM services as the China Mobile's 3G network will be incompatible with Taiwan's.

China's mainland government is slowly working on closer economic ties with Taiwan and recently started permitting direct flights across the Taiwan Strait, avoiding a lengthy detour via Hong Kong. As the Chinese government refuses to acknowledge Taiwan as an independent country, and roaming service would have to be marketed as a national-roaming deal, and not as part of China Mobile's international roaming platform.

Mr Wang added the firm also wants closer co-operation with Taiwan phone makers to develop 3G phones for its TD-SCDMA network.

 

Posted to the site on 9th March 2009