Cathay Online eyes settop box Internet access for China
technologypost.com
NEWSBYTES
New York-based CathayOnline Inc, which recently
acquired an Internet access provider in China's Sichuan
province, has announced plans to begin offering set-top
box-based Internet services to users without personal
computers.
The new service is the latest such venture to be
announced for China, where personal computer
penetration in homes is still very low. MyWeb Inc.com
began shipping its set top boxes to Beijing Telecom
earlier this year after the telecommunications operator
ordered 200,000 of the units.
Other companies planning services include Microsoft
Corp, which earlier this year announced a deal amid
much fanfare with China Telecom, and WorldGate
Communications Inc, which announced in June that it
signed a deal with Hunan Posts and Telecommunications
Administration (PTA) to deploy its service that allows
consumers to access the Internet via television sets.
Announcing its plans for expansion into the retail market
with set-top box-based Internet services, the company
said it, "views the Internet TopBox as a key tool in
targeting the massive home Internet market".
The company recently acquired Sichuan CathayOnline
Technologies Information, a Chengdu-based Internet
service provider.
Chinese law prevents foreign companies from holding
ISP licences so CathayOnline's Sichuan service operates
under a licence held by Chengdu Torch Industrial &
Commercial General. In return, it provides 20 per cent of
earnings to Chengdu Torch.
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