Chinese Telecommunications Policy

by Xu Yan, Douglas C. Pitt

Overview

Based on firsthand information obtained from interviews with senior figures in the Chinese telecommunications industry, this book presents a unique review and analysis of the evolution of Chinese telecommunications policy. It analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing new entrants, issues of ownership and interconnection, the broad economic background of 3G licensing, and the significant implications of China's accession to the WTO. These are fully analyzed within the context of the unfolding Chinese regulatory system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580533287
Publisher:	Artech House, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/15/2002
Series:	Telecommunications Library
Pages:	259
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.38(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Xu Yan is an assistant professor in the department of information and systems management at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is on the board of directors of the International Telecommunications Society and is an associate member of Internet and Telecom Association of Hong Kong. He received his M.Sc. in management from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, and his Ph.D. in business from Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, UK. Douglas C. Pitt, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Professor of Organizational Analysis, University of Cape Town, South Africa, received his B.A. in political science and M.A. in political sociology from Exeter University, and Ph.D. in public management from Manchester University. He is currently chief editor of the journal Telecommunications Policy

Table of Contents

Setting the Stage: Introduction. From 'Administered' to 'Market Governance?' -Telecommunications Development in China before 1994 — Foreign dominance and civil war. Ineffective semi-military administration. Reform schemes. Corporate behavior of the monopoly operator. Telecommunications Liberalization in 1994: Was the Time Ripe? — Private networks and their effects upon liberalization, disputes over deregulation. The establishment of China Unicom. The existing closed market for foreign investment. China Unicom: Victim of Reversed Regulatory Asymmetry?— An inefficient regulatory framework. A SWOT analysis of China Unicom during 1994-1998. Major barriers over network interconnection. New Horizons? Regulatory Framework Restructuring — Establishment of the Ministry of Information Industry in 1998. The splitting up of China Telecom in 1999. The birth of China Netcom and China Railcom. The publication of telecommunications Regulation. 3G Licensing in China: Telecommunications Policy Formulation in a Broad Economic Context - Domestic telecom equipment manufacturing. Spectrum regulation. Mobile dynamics. TD-SCDMA and its implications. 3G licensing. Dancing With Wolves?? WTO Accession and Its Impact on Telecommunications — Challenges to current operators. Corporate strategies of the incumbent and new entrants. Opportunities for foreign participants. 5+1 industrial structure. Chinese telecommunication industry in the post-WTO era. Chinese Telecommunications Transformation: Cautionary Tales of a 'Paradigm Shift'

Editorial Reviews

Like kudzu, telecommunications deregulation respects no borders, and has taken root even in China. Yan (information systems management, Hong Kong U. of Science and Technology) and Pitt (commerce and organizational analysis, U. of Cape Town, South Africa) outlines and examine trends in the current Chinese telecommunications regime, highlighting the limits of the competitive paradigm there. They explain that radical changes in policy began two decades ago with the incorporation of market mechanisms into the sector, and how the 1994 establishment of China Unicom marked the end of the monopoly operation, the impact of joining the World Trade Organization, and dangers ahead. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR