China's CDMA Network to Begin Operation in OctoberChina United Telecommunications Corp. (China Unicom), the country's second largest mobile phone operator, announced here Friday that its CDMA (code division multiple access) network is expected to be put into use next October.Yang Xianzu, chairman of the company board, told Xinhua that the network will be able to provide service to 13.3 million users upon completion of the first phase construction of the network. The network, a key project supported by the state, covers almost all major areas including more than 200 cities and prefectures across the country. China Unicom established a subsidiary company to take charge of the building of the network, but Yang said that China Unicom Ltd., the overseas-listed company in which China Unicom has a 75 percent stake, will be responsible for management of the network in areas that the company covers. Yang expected the overseas-listed company to perform well to meet its shareholders' expectation as China's CDMA market is forecast to grow rapidly in the future. He said that China Unicom plans to further increase the capacity of the network by 10 million subscribers each year in the coming years. China Unicom is the only company in China to have authorization to construct and operate a CDMA network. It currently has 20 million GSM subscribers, with a market share of more than 20 percent. |
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