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. This account, utilizing new source data, demonstrates that the existence of different economic and political systems, forces governments to adopt different and unique regulatory approaches. The book reveals the considerable problems that remain to be solved as a result of weaknesses in Chinese telecommunications industrial and regulatory systems. In-depth discussions on key political and economic factors aid understanding of the specific characteristics of Chinese telecommunications policies.
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';
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Douglas C. Pitt
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.
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Xu Yan
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.