What China Mobile really needs

December 23, 2013, Apple and China Mobile announced a long-term agreement, China Mobile officially introduced Apple's iphone, the two sides will be officially sold on January 17, 2014 iphone 5s and iphone 5c. And from December 25, 2013 on Christmas Day, China Mobile has been through the official website and 10086 Customer Service hotline for users to book.

On the day of release, the news immediately became the headline of the big news in the country. Analysts had estimated that the share price would rise 45 U.S. dollars, or even 100 of dollars, and analysts at the peak of Apple's share price predicted that after the cooperation, Apple's share price will exceed 1000 U.S. dollars. The fact is a bit disappointing, the first trading day after the news, Apple's share price rose 3.84%, the report closed at 570.09 U.S. dollars. China Mobile, however, only collected 1.63% and closed at $52.47.

The bitter lesson of 3G

For China Mobile, it was a very early morning and a late set. In the 3G era, China Mobile should have used its TD-SCDMA technology to work with Apple and ended up losing out on 3G products for a variety of reasons. Although its nominal 3G number of users in the country first, but as long as the attention of its user proportion, the terminal composition, or notice how many people in peacetime life with mobile 3G, know this conclusion how helpless.

In fact, the 3G era, mobile is not without terminals, in addition to the Apple has been talking about, Samsung, Nokia and other international well-known manufacturers and cool, Huawei and other domestic manufacturers have moved to produce a variety of support mobile 3G models, including some of the hot sales of popular models specifically customized mobile version of the model, such as Samsung Galaxy S3 Mobile version I9308, Samsung Galaxy Note II mobile version N7108, Nokia Lumia 920 mobile version 920T. Various manufacturers have released their flagship mobile version, but its hot sales did not give the mobile 3G how much changed.

The reason for mobile 3G depression

If the mobile has not lacked the support of its 3G model, then why is it not up? In fact, there are many reasons, everyone will always say that one or two: slow speed, have to change the mobile phone, parallel imports do not support its 3G network, tariffs are too expensive and so on. In fact, looking at its source, there are only two categories: objective conditionality and subjective will.

Objectively, China Mobile shoulders the mission of national communications, destined not to be like Unicom Telecom, blindly doctrine, with the mature international standards for the development of 3G business, which doomed it to start to go better than unicom and telecommunications smooth. From various channels to buy parallel mobile phone card can use Unicom and telecom 3G, for users is a great convenience, but for mobile, is a disaster. This makes mobile have to keep up with the major manufacturers to implement their own standard 3G mobile phones, and various forms of promotional activities to popularize their standard 3G mobile phones.

Subjectively, in fact, from the very beginning, China Mobile is reluctant to step up to 3G too fast. Mobile in the 2G era of the boss position has been not shaken, its users far more than the total telecommunications and Unicom, which also led to a certain extent it unwieldy. From 2009, which is recognized as the first year of 3G, to the end of 2012, China moved a total of 180 billion on 3G, while China Unicom, which is recognized as the most valued 3G, invested 100 billion per 2012 years. From the investment, you can see whether the operator really want to make this product success. Its reflection on the user is: because the base station capacity is limited and users increased the speed of the network slowed down, the operator is to solve the investment, the price too expensive users can not afford, and operators are willing to take the risk of first loss of user volume popularization and so on.

In the condition of congenital malnutrition, China Mobile has not given enough milk, such a 3G if it can be moved well, it really let everyone open their eyes.

How to move the road

Compared to the last three operators issued three 3G licences, the three now only issued the same license, is undoubtedly the best interpretation of the Ministry of Industry's strong support for China Mobile, which allows China Mobile to avoid the congenital malnutrition of embarrassment, can have time more leisurely development of their own 4G.

We all understand that if LTE-TDD repeat the old road, do not say 4G, even if 5G can now be commercially available immediately, will only do worse than 3G. And to go a better path, China Mobile needs more than just an iphone, but a more enlightened route, more intense attention and a lot of investment. If China Mobile can learn from the last lesson, and actively adjust the strategy, the advantages of 4G network focus on optimization, so that the use of 4G more smoothly, the speed can be closer to its declared theory, cheaper tariffs, more stable network, mobile will be 4G development is not impossible. But the developed 4G is not an overnight feat, nor is it possible for an iphone to do so.