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China awards VO licences to 11 companies
2013-12-27 08:53:00| Telecompaper Headlines
(Telecompaper) E-commerce giant Alibaba is among 11 new companies authorised in China to start virtual operators, Dow Jones reports. China's telecom regulator said that it awarded licences to 11 private companies to run mobile telecommunications businesses based on services leased from China's three state-run carriers. The companies that won licenses include a subsidiary of Alibaba Group and rival Beijing Jingdong Century Trading Co, which runs the popular JD.com e-commerce service. JD.com will begin offering mobile communications services in the second quarter of next year and use new and existing customers "to help us become China's fourth-largest mobile carrier within five years," said JD.com Vice Chairman Zhao Guoqing. In its statement, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the new plan would "stimulate competition" in the telecom industry and "provide users with more choices." The regulator said other companies could still apply for virtual telecom licenses.
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Category:Telecommunications