China Mobile is world's most valuable mobile operator brand

China Mobile is the world's most valuable mobile network brand, according to a report in Mobile Communications International magazine. It's estimated to be worth $30.79 billion, based on a number of factors including customer numbers and its predicted growth rate. Vodafone was second ($22.13 billion) and Verizon was third ($20.38 billion). [Source: Telecoms.com]

Restructuring for China's telecoms industry

The Chinese government has said it's going to restructure its telecoms industry. Current rules prevent fixed-line operators from offering mobile services and vice versa. There'll be a number of mergers and swaps, resulting in more competition for state-owned China Mobile, which currently has over two-thirds of the country's mobile phone customers. The government has also said it'll start issuing 3G licences. There are currently around 600 million mobile phone users in China. [Sources: ChinaTechNews.com; BBC News; Chinese government announcement]

China Mobile profits up by 31.9%

China Mobile has just released its annual results for 2007:

• Turnover reached £25 billion, up 20.9%
• Profit of over £6 billion, up 31.9%
• Total subscribers exceeded 360 million, up 22.6%

[Source: Forbes.com]

China Mobile plans UK network?

The Inquirer reports on speculation that China Mobile, which is setting up a London-based regional office, could launch a mobile virtual network in the UK and other European countries.

10% of all Apple iPhones in China?

BWCS.com reports figures from In-Stat and China Mobile that claim there are at least 400,000 unlocked iPhones in China. According to China Mobile, around 0.4 million customers were connecting to its networks using unlocked iPhones at the end of 2007. Around 4 million iPhones have been sold since the product was launched.

Vodafone welcomes China Mobile to LTE trials - but there's no rush to implement it

China Mobile has joined Vodafone and Verizon's trial of LTE (Long Term Evolution), the "4G" technology that offers faster mobile data services. However, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin has said his company will wait for LTE to mature before it commits to the technology. He also called for research and development in the competing WiMAX system to be merged with work on LTE. [Sources: CNNMoney.com, Forbes.com]