Mainland's first list of virtual operators to emerge: Suning Gome and other eight finalists

The introduction of "virtual operators" is the beginning of China's private capital to enter the basic telecommunications business, Phoenix Technology News, October 21, according to people familiar with the matter, Suning, Gome, di-letter, music language, Eschde, audio, Alibaba, Beijing East Eight enterprises have been on the mobile communications resale business with China Unicom and Chinese Telecom signed a cooperation agreement, This means that if nothing happens, the eight companies will be the first virtual operators in the mainland. Yesterday evening (October 20), Su Ning has officially released the news. Several other companies have yet to make a statement on mobile-sale business. Suning and other eight companies are expected to become the first batch of virtual operators this May 17, the Ministry of Industry issued the "on the launch of mobile communications business pilot Work Circular" (Ministry of Industry Tong [2013]191), as an important step to encourage people to enter such as telecommunications, the formal launch of virtual operator pilot. The circular stipulates that "the basic telecommunications business operators with mobile networks shall, within 15th from the date of dispatch, disclose to the public the contact department of the Mobile Communications resale business in the prominent position of their company's website and clarify the relevant matters relating to the cooperation with the resale enterprise." Within 4 months from the date of the intention to cooperate with the resale enterprise, the basic telecommunications business operator shall sign a cooperation agreement with more than two resale enterprises and cooperate with over two resale enterprises during the trial period. According to people familiar with the matter, October 18, after several rounds of negotiations, China Telecom, Chinese Unicom Two operators have signed a resale business agreement with the eight companies, and China Mobile will complete the signing by the end of this month. It is reported that the resale business is not exclusive, all enterprises can and three operators can negotiate and sign the agreement respectively. According to Suning yesterday evening released the announcement, it has already signed a resale agreement with China Telecom and Chinese unicom respectively. However, the signing of the resale agreement with the operator does not mean that the company will certainly obtain a virtual operator license. Whether the relevant enterprises can finally obtain the virtual operator license plate, but also waiting for the Ministry of Industry Licensing. According to the unified planning of the regulator, the ministry will issue the first batch of virtual operator licences by the end of this year, but the virtual operators may need to wait until next year to formally start offering their services. It is noteworthy that China Unicom and Telecom are more active in the three major carriers, while Mobile has no interest in the mobile resale business. As the leading operator in the mobile communications market, the main task of moving is to maintain the stock rather than rob it, and the ARPU of the reseller will only reduce its value, according to senior telecommunications sources. And as a weak operator, telecom Unicom can obviously through more distribution partners to Rob Mobile stock market. From foreign experience, resellers and virtual operators are also welcomed by vulnerable operators. For example, T use Virgin's advantage in the young to find a new growth point, T from 2000 market five to later market second, the contribution of virtual operators can not be. A lot of people in the industry believe that the introduction of "virtual Operator" is the telecom industry in the 2008After the reorganization, another major change in telecommunications, China's private capital into the basic telecommunications business began. The more important significance is that this is the first real sense of mainland private capital into the state-owned monopoly industry. In many people's view, the launch of the mobile Communications Resale business pilot program is seen as a key step in the regulatory layer to start a new round of reform of the telecom industry, and it has a very positive significance from the point of view of introducing the civil investment in the telecom competition. But in fact, the pace of reform in the regulatory layer is clearly lagging behind the expectations of the market. As early as 2005, regulators had considered liberalising virtual operators in order to spur competition in the telecoms market, but the opening of virtual operators was shelved after regulators hoped to improve market competition by implementing telecoms restructuring and issuing 3G licences. However, the 2008 3G licensing and telecommunications restructuring, in addition to a certain extent, balance the competition between the three telecom operators, not to the mainland telecom market competition to a new level. Therefore, around 2010, there are many experts call for the open virtual operator policy. In 2010, Chen Jinchao, Deputy chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Telecommunications, said in an interview with Phoenix technology that it was now the best time to introduce a virtual operator. At that time, Chen Jinchao said, on the one hand, the competition between the telecommunications market has tended to be homogeneous and white-hot, the introduction of virtual operators can effectively change the current telecommunications market competition, to provide users with better services; On the other hand, the introduction of private capital through virtual operators conforms to the current situation of China To promote the transformation of the telecommunications industry has a very positive role in promoting. But for a variety of reasons, the calls to open virtual operators around 2010 have not been answered. With the upgrading of communication technology and the rise of mobile internet, starting from the end of 2012, the competition in telecom market has changed radically, and the OTT service of micro-credit has brought the competition of telecom industry to a higher level. Some commentators have pointed out that the issue of virtual operator licences in 2013 is not very meaningful, the expected effect on improving the competitive environment of the telecom industry is not optimistic. In particular, from the global experience, the success of virtual network operators is not easy. For example, in Hong Kong, China, run Xun Communications and many other enterprises have been more than 10 years ago, the virtual operator license plate, but these enterprises have not yet fully entrenched, the main business has become call outsourcing. However, Chen Jinchao believes that the introduction of virtual operators, regardless of their positive significance. He said that virtual operators and basic operators are not competing relationships. Based on the experience of introducing virtual operators into foreign telecom market, the introduction of virtual operators can effectively improve the network utilization of basic operators and bring considerable profits, and help the basic operators to develop and consolidate users. On the surface, Chen Jinchao says, the entry of virtual operators will affect the operations of the base operators. However, the future of telecom competition is a three-dimensional differential competition, virtual operators and virtual operators in the business between the competition, basic operators and baseInfrastructure operators in the network equipment competition, and virtual operators and the basic operators is a cooperative and winning relationship, there is no competition between the two. However, regardless of the virtual operators to improve the telecommunications market competition environment will be how to effect, the people into the telecommunications industry is the cause of this reform, but also its most positive side, China's basic telecommunications services by the state-owned monopoly of the situation, and finally become a history.