China Unicom Chairman: Interested In Mobile Payment Services
March 03 2010 - 11:03PM
Dow Jones News
China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. (CHU) is interested in launching
mobile payment services, Chairman Chang Xiaobing said Thursday.
His comments come after China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) Chairman Wang
Jianzhou said Thursday that a main reason for the company's planned
investment in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Co. (600000.SH) is
to develop its own mobile payment system.
Asked if Unicom would also take a stake in a bank, Chang said
"every company will take their own road."
Chang, who also serves as the company's chief executive, was
speaking on the sidelines of the National Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference.
Chang said he is not disappointed by sales of Apple Inc.'s
(APPL) iPhone in China, but he acknowledged there is room for
improvement.
Unicom said in December it sold 100,000 of the smart phones
since their official launch on Oct. 30.
However, given that Unicom has 144 million subscribers, analysts
have said iPhone sales in China are underwhelming because they are
priced too high. Apple and Unicom charge $730 to $1,020 for the
iPhone, not including discounts on service, making it more
expensive than "gray market" iPhones brought into the country
through such places as Hong Kong.
Chang also denied rumors that Unicom employees had been required
to buy iPhones.
-By Aaron Back, Dow Jones Newswires; (8610) 8400 7702;
aaron.back@dowjones.com
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