China Telecom E-News, May 14- 27, 2000
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Plastic Optical Fiber Conferences - Showcases for Hot Technology
*POF World 2000 June 19-21, 2000-San Jose Convention Center-San Jose, CA
Collocated with 1394 TA?s Devcon 2000 & Multimedia Trade Show-Fairmont
Hotel-San Jose, CA.
POF 2000 is the annual conference focusing on the technical developments
in Plastic Optical Fiber
For more info visit IGI?s Website www.igigroup.com or call 1-800-323-1088
Corey Hollister-Director of Events-corey@igigroup.com
Areas To Be Covered at POF World 2000
POF Markets
This panel will discuss where POF new opportunities are likely to appear
in the near and far term. Markets such as 1394, Home Networks, Industrial
Automation, and Automobiles.
International POF Developments
The activities in POF in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. will be discussed by
a panel of experts
The Future of the POF Trade Organization (POFTO)
Organized by the POF TO, this panel will explore the future direction that
should be taken to promote the POF industry.
POF and Video Applications
Driven by 1394, the number of potential POF applications in the video
field is increasing. With the shift toward digital video, POF could be a
likely beneficiary. Experts from the video industry will discuss the
potential for POF.
POF Standards
Several standards have been developed that have POF specified, such as the
ATM Forum and 1394b. Many more standards are being developed and the POF
industry needs to be an active participant in the development of these
standards. How the industry should address these needs will be discussed.
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U.S. House of Representatives Passes PNTR, Paving Way for China?s WTO
Accession
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on May 24 to grant China permanent
normal trade relations (PNTR) after hours of heated debate, thus paving
the way for China?s WTO entry.
The PNTR bill needed 218 votes for passage in the 435-member House. The
vote was 237-197 in favor of the bill. A total of 73 Democrats and 164
Republicans voted in favor of the bill. The bill now goes to the Senate,
where passage is virtually assured.
Motorola To Invest US$2 Billion, Contingent On China Trade Policies
Motorola Inc. would expand its investment in China after the country
enters the World Trade Organization, but the government's investment
policies should be more favorable, senior officials said recently. C.D.
Tam, executive vice-president and president of Motorola Asia Pacific
Region, said China needs to improve its high-tech investment policies to
encourage foreign investors and optimize its infrastructure in the sector.
With better high-tech investment policies, "we will invest another US$ 2
billion in China," he said. He said China's high-tech investment policies
could be improved in many aspects, citing an import tax on raw materials
for semiconductors as an example of a policy that discourages foreign
investment. Motorola has invested US$ 1.1 billion in its production and
processing base in Tianjin, and has filed an application to the Ministry
of Information Industry to establish a new base to produce semiconductors
and telecommunication products.
The new base, which will also be in Tianjin, will involve a total
investment of US$ 1.9 billion, according to Pin Yong Lai, president of
Motorola (China) Electronics Ltd. If the project is approved, Motorola's
investment in China would total US$ 3.5 billion by the end of this, Lai
said. The cellular phone leader pins high hopes on the Chinese market for
its Internet-enabled phones that are expected to act as a wireless
Internet. Tam said that from the second half of this year, all
Motorola-made cell phones selling in China would be Web-enabled and
compatible with the global wireless Internet standard Wireless Application
Protocol.
Lycos Asia Launches Sites in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Lycos Asia, a joint venture between Lycos, Inc. and Singapore Telecom
(SingTel), announced the launch of portal sites for China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan. The four new sites include Lycos China, Lycos Hong Kong in English
and Chinese and Lycos Taiwan -provide users with an array of top quality
content and services, including search, free email, personalization and
content of local interest. This Pan-Asian expansion comes just six months
since the company's inception in December 1999, and adds to its reach with
sites already operating in Singapore and Malaysia. Lycos Asia currently
operates six localized sites.
Pacific Century and Hong Kong Government to build Cyberport
The government of Hong Kong and Pacific Century Cyberworks agreed to build
a US$2 million high-technology industrial park aimed at becoming Hong
Kong?s answer to Silicon Valley. The government said ant cost overruns for
the Cyberport would be borne by Pacific Century, the Internet company
owned by Richard Li. The government will own the Cyberport, and it will
share the profit made from selling an estimated 3,000 homes on the site to
workers.
China's Mobile Telecom Surpasses Fixed Phone Services
China's 50 million mobile phone users increased the country's phone
telecom business volume above that of fixed phone services for the first
time in the first quarter this year, the Ministry of Information Industry
said. By the end of March, the country's mobile network was listed the
third in the world, covering more than 93 percent of counties in China,
according to the ministry.
China is now making efforts to develop the third generation mobile telecom
technology. The TD-SCDMA mobile telecom standards developed and
established by China independently has been approved by the International
Telecom Union.
China Unicom to Open WAP Net
China Unicom has initiated a new service in 20 Chinese cities which allows
its mobile phone users to access information on the Internet. With the
trial launching of the wireless application protocol (WAP) network in
Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and other large cities in the
country, the company's users whose mobile phones are compatible with
digital services will be able to use the phones to surf the Internet, send
and receive e-mail, and engage in e-commerce. The company noted that in
the future, the company will strengthen its cooperation with Internet
service providers and content providers to give customers more options.
China Telecom Selects Alcatel's Optical Networking Solutions To Build Two
DWDM National Backbones
Alcatel announced it has signed two contracts valued at US$20 million,
with China Telecom, to build two Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
(DWDM) national backbones. The new projects - Shendahu and Xichengyu -
will enable China Telecom to undertake a major expansion of its
telecommunication infrastructure to keep up with country's growing demand
for fast multimedia services.
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