China Develops Advanced E-Commerce Service SystemChina has developed an internationally advanced e-commerce service system that can connect with various terminals and greatly reduce the costs of e-commerce service providers.The system, called iSwitch Platform, can transform service requests by customers using different terminals. Customers can connect using almost all the terminals available in the market, including PC, mobile phones, fax machines, Personal Data Assistant (PDA), television and even pagers. The system is developed by the Shenzhen-based Liming Network Systems Co., a major computer network integration company that has developed networks for over 800 institutions in China, including the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. While it provides the maximum flexibility and mobility for customers, the system also greatly reduces the costs for businesses in operating and maintaining different e-commerce systems. For example, a typical branch of a securities company in China provides telephone and Internet trading services, which means they need dozens or even hundreds of telephone lines and a website. "With iSwitch, they need only one data telecommunications line to connect with the platform, the rest will be left by us," Deng said. He said that the impact of iSwitch on stock exchanges, securities companies, banks and other e-commerce providers might turnout to be "revolutionary". Since the first platform went into commercial operation last March in Shenzhen, the company has opened new platforms in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Beijing, connecting more than 100 securities brokers, banks, certificate agents and other e-commerce providers. It has taken the Liming company three years to develop the system. The company has the full intellectual property rights. The prototype system was developed in November 1998. In December 1999, a review by the Ministry of Information Industry said the system was of a world class standard. |
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