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To: Jon Koplik who wrote (96665)	4/3/2001 11:52:52 AM
From: Sawtooth	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

UPDATE 4-China Unicom parent mulling A-share issue (Adds details from company statement) HONG KONG, April 3 (Reuters) - China's number two mobile phone operator China Unicom (0762) said on Tuesday its mainland parent, China Unicom Group, was considering issuing yuan-currency A-shares to help finance its planned 13.3 million-subscriber network using the CDMA network standard. China Unicom said the assets that might be included in the A-share-listed firm would consist of part of the parent firm's holding company that owns 77 percent of the Hong Kong and New York listed China Unicom Ltd. The company said no decision on a mainland listing had been made and added that the size and timing of any such offering had not been determined. "People would be buying a fractional interest in 77 percent of Unicom," a source close to China Unicom told Reuters. That way, the source said, there would be no conflict between the interests of mainland and international shareholders. "The interests of the A-share shareholders would be 100 percent aligned with the international shareholders," the source said. A-shares are yuan-denominated and available only to mainland investors. So-called "red chip" firms such as China Unicom -- which are incorporated overseas but whose assets are mostly in mainland China -- are banned from issuing shares directly in mainland China. But the structure that China Unicom said it is considering would appear to work around that ban. Some company watchers had feared that the already listed China Unicom, which expects to lease CDMA capacity and receive asset injections from its parent at favourable terms -- would not enjoy such terms if the parent were listed separately in mainland China. But China Unicom said the planned CDMA networks, as well as existing GSM-standard networks in 18 provinces that are not currently part of the Hong Kong-listed company, would not be included in the firm that might be listed on the mainland. The source also said that progress towards an A-share listing is preliminary and might not happen at all, and that no application had been submitted thus far to Chinese securities regulators. Financing for the planned CDMA network would also come from debt, cash on hand, and possibly vendor financing, the source said. State media said in Beijing last week that the cost of the build-out of the CDMA network would total 20 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in the first year and 70 billion yuan over three years. CDMA, or code division multiple access, is wireless technology patented by U.S.-based Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM) that allows networks to cram more information across limited airwaves than the competing GSM standard which is currently predominant in China as well as Europe. Shares of China Unicom closed down 1.16 percent in Hong Kong at HK$8.55. The stock surged to a day high of HK$9.25 in the early afternoon after it reported a net profit of 3.23 billion yuan in 2000, up 285 percent from 1999. All Headlines Additional Headlines 04/03 09:18 Reuters

To: Jon Koplik who wrote (96665)	4/3/2001 12:08:52 PM
From: S100	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 152472

Vodafone GPRS service opens for business (little on VOD and GPRS for you, is this one true?) by Mark Mayne on 03 April 2001 14:55:00 GMT Vodafone has this week launched its GPRS mobile service offering company workers mobile remote access to their office-based systems such as e-mail, calendars and databases. A spokesperson for Vodafone said: “The service launched as planned and although we have no subscriber figures yet, we have been taking orders since March.” The service, which the company said last year would launch in Q1 2001, launched yesterday, though it currently only features business services, rather than consumer-orientated capability. The company said consumer services, expected to include games, better search services, and improved mobile internet access, would follow “in the coming months.” However, the move post-dates the launch by rival BTCellnet of a GPRS business service last year. BT is also looking to launch a consumer version as soon as possible. Other rivals Orange and One2One promise GPRS rollouts this summer. All are being held up by the delays in the production of GPRS handsets as handset manufacturers seek to offload existing stocks of first generation phones. GPRS networks are also thought to be some way short of acceptable standards for coverage and quality in all parts of the UK. The Vodafone GPRS tariff structure begins with a connection charge of £29.79, followed by two price plans: Vodafone Bundles and Vodafone Volume Tariff. The former costs from £15 per month, with 5Mb bundled data allowance, to £100 (100Mb). The volume tariff costs £10 per month, but relies on the user having at least 25 subscriptions – or separate phone connections – which would cost a minimum of £250 per month. BT’s business service begins at £30pm for 5Mb data, up to £65 for 50Mb. The Motorola T260 is the only handset available on Vodafone’s service at present, and provides data speeds of 36kbps on the downlink according to the company. Vodafone has re-affirmed its intention to launch more PDA-type GPRS handsets by Q2 this year. netimperative.com