China Telecom Launches National Campus Campaign
Sina Tech, 7/27/09
China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) has launched a nationwide 3G promotional campaign on university campuses, one of many campaigns expected in H2 2009 from the company's marketing and individual customer service departments. The campaign offers a 3G calling plan that includes China Telecom's E-Surfing Live instant messaging, iMusic downloading, mobile film and television, and "189" mobile e-mail services, along with other content and applications that appeal to university students such as access to the campus network and BBS, UCWEB and Tencent's (0700.HK) QQ instant message client.
Each regional operator will release its own campus plan specifics, but prices have already been set at under RMB 100, according to China Telecom. Students can receive RMB 300, RMB 600 and RMB 900 in free talk time when they sign up for a RMB 19/month "chat" plan, RMB 39/month "music" plan or RMB 59/month "online" plan, respectively. During the promotion, customers can add 100 SMS messages for RMB 1, and will receive discount roaming charges during winter and summer vacation months (January, February, July and August). In addition, customers can have up to five family and friends numbers and pay reduced talk time charges for calls within the university area. Students who sign up and purchase select handsets as well as subscribe to a campus broadband/wireless broadband (EV-DO) plan will receive broadband credit equal to the amount of bonus talk time received with the campus 3G plan. Student who purchase non-designated models can still receive a 50% discount on the campus plan.
According to China Telecom, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Huawei and ZTE (0763.HK; 000063.SZ) have all released scores of handsets designed to appeal to university students' tastes and needs.
Editor's Note: Beijing Telecom announced this low-cost campus calling plans at the beginning of the month. For more background, please see "Beijing Telecom to Offer Student Calling Plans", MD 7/10/09 issue.
Keywords: H2 2009 iMusic mobile video mobile e-mail mobile data mobile Internet 000063.SZ 0700.HK 0728.HK 0763.HK 3G broadband CHA China Telecom E-Surfing instant messaging marketing QQ roaming Tencent SMS university wireless wireless broadband handset tariffs youth CDMA2000 EV-DO
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