CyberWorks and Legend to offer broadband service and content in China -- By Eddie Chan
infoagehk.com
Richard Li?s Pacific Century CyberWorks, fresh off its acquisition of Hong Kong?s largest telecommunications firm Cable & Wireless HKT, has teamed up with Legend Holdings to offer broadband Internet services in China. Legend is China?s largest computer manufacturer and distributor. The company will help CyberWorks distribute its Network of the World (NOW) interactive Internet and broadband service in China.
Legend will design and manufacture PCs and set-top boxes with a built-in cable modem that gives users broadband connectivity to the Internet. The PCs will feature one-touch access to Legend?s portal at www.fm365.com, which links directly to the NOW network. The two companies will also co-develop content and broadband Internet services tailored for Chinese users.
?Legend sees a huge demand and rapid growth potential of broadband products, service and content in China. We are pleased to work with CyberWorks, the broadband technology leader in Asia,? said Legend chairman, Liu Chuanzhi. A Legend official couldn't confirm when exactly the two companies will begin offering the services in China.
According to research firm IDC, Legend tops the mainland PC market with a 27.3 percent share in the fourth quarter of last year. Hewlett-Packard is a distant second with seven percent. For 1999, Legend sold nearly five million computers in China through 2,000 distributors in the country. CyberWorks? NOW network is slated to reach 130 million cable-connected households throughout the Asia-Pacific region, but with the Legend partnership, that number could significantly increase given China?s huge potential for broadband Net access.
?This agreement brings together two technology leaders and uses the strengths of both to market PC, set-top box and broadband services in China,? said Richard Li, CyberWorks? chairman and CEO. |
