Global operator strategies - 25/03/06

China forbid VOIP service until 2008. The goal is to protect large local telcos from low-cost internet telephony competition. In a separate announcement, China also said it will issue its own terrestrial digital TV standard this year, as well as a mobile broadcasting standard, IPTV and satellite broadcasting standards. Worldwide interoperability is not yet for tomorrow! China has decided to launch the country’s first direct broadcast satellite in August to stimulate the overall shift of Chinese consumers to digital TV.

The Chinese government has no short-term timetable for launching 3G in China, according to the vice director of the Ministry of Information Industry's (MII).

Vodafone is opposed to Sonae' s takeover of Portugal Telecom, citing uncompetitive environment if Sonae' s Optimus mobile operator is to merge with PT' s TMN mobile unit.

DT could be authorized by the German government to set wholesale prices for its planned €3bn fiber optic network. The move could ire the European Union (EU) that want more competition and related price regulation.

Chunghwa Telecom (Taiwan) considers potential investment opportunities in Southeast Asia.

Vivendi-Universal and Tecom-Dig are shortlisted for the next round of auction for Tunisie Telecom. FT is out. Vivendi bid was at €1.5bn, followed by Dubai' s Tecom-Dig offer of EUR1.46bn.