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A BETTER EXPERIENCE: An operator tests an advanced excavator in Langfang, Hebei Province. The excavator features air conditioning, a global positioning system and USB ports to charge cellphones (LI XIAOGUO) |
China is planning to allow privately owned companies to enter the mobile telecommunications sector in a bid to promote competition.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it will seek opinions on a pilot program for private enterprises to buy mobile telecom services from operators and resell them to customers.
The program aims to allow private capital to further enter the telecom industry, give full play to the flexibility and creativity of private firms, as well as promote market competition and improve mobile telecom services.
At present, China's mobile telecom sector is dominated by three giants: China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.
According to the plan, Chinese-funded private companies will be able to buy basic mobile telecom services from the three major operators, add their own services and then sell to customers through their own brands.
The companies will not have to build a mobile telecom infrastructure but only set up a customer service system and other supporting networks if necessary.
The pilot program has a series of clauses to ensure the successful accession of private capital into the sector, including requirements on service quality, phone number allocation, as well as the wholesale prices for contracted services.
Telecom giants must not include any exclusive clauses in the contract with private enterprises.
The pilot program is designed to last for two years. Private enterprises can send applications to telecom authorities within the first year of the program.
The country's outbound direct investment (ODI) in non-financial sectors grew 28.6 percent in 2012, accelerating from a year earlier, said the Ministry of Commerce on January 16.
The annual growth rate was higher than the 1.8-percent rate recorded in 2011.
China invested a total of $77.22 billion in 4,425 overseas enterprises in 141 overseas countries and regions in 2012.
But foreign direct investment in China in 2012 declined 3.7 percent to $111.72 billion, according to the ministry.
The Chinese Government plans to invest 650 billion yuan ($103.56 billion) in railway construction in 2013, nearly equivalent to the amount spent last year.
New railways with a combined length of 5,200 km will go into operation this year as well, said Sheng Guangzu, Minister of Railways, at a work meeting on January 17.
The amount is slightly up from the 630.98 billion yuan ($101.52 billion) spent in 2012, but it is significantly down from 2010's record of 842.65 billion yuan ($135.58 billion).
The Ministry of Railways will diversify financing channels by encouraging local governments, enterprises and private investors to participate in railway construction, Sheng said.
A national railway development fund will be established as an investment platform for social and private capital, he said.
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