Rumor: China Suspends CMMB Fee Standardization Indefinitely
Sohu IT, 12/30/09
According to an industry insider, China Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has indefinitely postponed implementing standard fees for its Jingcai-branded CMMB mobile television service, since the service has few channels on offer, most of which are already available on broadcast television. The fee plan was originally scheduled to be implemented on June 30, 2010.
China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) has accelerated the inclusion of CMMB functionality in TD-SCDMA handsets, and expects the total number of CMMB users via TD-SCDMA phones to reach at least 4 mln in 2010.
An industry source also reports that CBC has been in continuous talks with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which may very well begin issuing network access permits to GSM+CMMB handsets, eliminating another major policy barrier hindering development of the CMMB market.
According to Sohu IT, CBC has changed its goals for uni-directional CMMB terminal development, estimating there will be 10 mln CMMB users in 2010, and aiming for 50 mln within three years.
Editor's Note: For more background on this topic, please see "China Announces New Fee Structure for CMMB Service" MD 11/27/09 and "CMMB Users to Reach 50 Mln by 2010" MD 5/11/09 issues.
Keywords: China Mobile policy television MIIT CMMB GSM CHL TD-SCDMA 0941.HK China Broadcasting Corporation Jingcai mobile phone TV tariffs network access permit
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