China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) yesterday revealed it would focus more of its strategy on developing corporate and institutional users, a move likely to attract more partners to boost mobile ubiquity and network efficiency.

"An exclusive policy will not work, we will open our doors wider to telecommunication partners and corporate and institutional users to realize mobile ubiquity," Wang Jianzhou, chairman of CMCC, the world's largest wireless operator by market value and subscribers, said.

The cooperation expansion pledge was announced during the two-day China Mobile Enterprises User Conference & Mobile Information Forum, which ends today.

The event has attracted over 1,000 government officials, experts and executives from corporations such as Microsoft, Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, Motorola and RIM.

A products and services exhibition of those communications giants was also held in conjunction with the forum.

CMCC has already carried out a series of projects to expand its corporate and institutional users. At the primary stage, it conducted pilots in cooperation with government departments.

The top Chinese mobile carrier is joining hands with the Ministry of Construction to establish urban administration information systems in 28 key cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Yangzhou

For the securities industry, CMCC is cooperating with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Securities Association of China and eight large Chinese securities brokers to promote investment risk education nationwide.

Notable is the "Village-to-Village" project, which aims to build mobile networks with telecommunications partners to cover China's remote rural areas.

During the first half of this year, more than half of the company's new subscribers were from rural areas, and the total number of rural subscribers for CMCC has so far exceeded 20 million, Wang said.

Xian Weixiong, director of the Guangzhou transportation committee, revealed the city was developing the partnership with CMCC's information transportation management system, which he said would increase efficiency and reduce costs.

"By the end of October, 1,600 buses and all of Guangzhou's 17,600 taxis had installed China Mobile's terminals. We plan to completely cover the city's public traffic and logistics facilities with the system by 2008," Xian said.

(China Daily December 12, 2007)