Through its mobile "incubator" venture Siemens Mobile Acceleration GmbH (smac), the German vendor is setting up offices in Beijing and Shanghai to target mobile start-ups in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Smac provides support such as capital investment, training and access to Siemens' R&D facilities as well as access to the vendor's customer base of 150 telecoms operators globally.

Initially set up in July 2001 as part of Siemens Information and Communications Mobile (ICM) Group, smac said it plans to make 20 investments a year of around 1.5 million euros (US$1.28 million) each in return for a minority stake. The company's slogan, "Speed up your mobile business ideas," sums up its aim of turning attractive business ideas into a successful market presence as quickly as possible.

A Siemens spokesman said the investments would be made where the company felt there was a sound mobile opportunity, and if 20 opportunities came up in China alone then that is where smac would invest its money.

"Considering that China is the fastest-growing market in mobile communications with the largest growth potential, and given the Chinese consumers' enthusiasm for mobile applications like mobile gaming, the Chinese mobile business market is brimming with new opportunities, opening up an exciting business potential for hundreds of start-up companies developing wireless applications and services," said Dietrich Ulmer, CEO of smac, in a statement.

Currently China has about 150 million mobile subscribers and the figure is expected to grow to 330 million in 2006, the statement added.

(China Daily March 1, 2002)