China Telecom plans to launch an MVNO in the UK next year to serve Chinese residents and tourists, according to reports citing Ou Yan, manager of the group’s European division.
Ou Yan is cited saying his company has indentified a potential market of…
China Telecom plans to launch an MVNO in the UK next year to serve Chinese residents and tourists, according to reports citing Ou Yan, manager of the group’s European division.
Ou Yan is cited saying his company has indentified a potential market of around 800,000 UK-based subscribers.
However, the company has reportedly not yet decided which local network the MVNO will use, or whether it will carry the China Telecom brand.
Ou Yan is also cited saying that after the UK launch the group will seek to roll out similar services in France and Germany.
China Telecom will not be the first Chinese telco to enter the UK market. On 1 June, Chinese vendor ZTE announced a partnership with UK incumbent BT to develop next generation fixed-line, wireless and mobile services. ZTE and BT said they would look to develop international telecoms standards which drive the interoperability and convergence of global communications systems.
ZTE’s domestic rival, Huawei, has also been looking to break into the UK market. In a now failed attempt to install a mobile network in time for the 2012 Olympic Games, Huawei had considered providing the necessary equipment for free. Late last year, the company opened up a security unit in the country, in order to allow the government’s Communications Electronics Security Group to test its hardware and software.
