The Geneva-based ITU is a 190-country international organisation within which governments and the private sector coordinate global telecommunications networks and services.

The ITU dedicated one day of its five-day meeting to all things China. It encouraged "exchange" between Chinese telecom operators and their global counterparts.

China telecom suppliers and operators participating included China Mobile, China Netcom, China Telecommunications, China Unicom, Huawei Technologies, ZTE and more. In all there were 695 exhibitors from 37 countries.

ITU head of strategy and policy, Tom Kelly, said last week that China had exceeded the United States in mobile telecommunications users in 2001 and fixed-lines in 2002. Broadband Internet would also exceed the US by the end of next year.

One year ago China had 393.4 million mobile subscribers. The US had 201.6 million mobile subscribers. Thailand currently has 32 million mobile telephone users - up from 27 million last year.

China's information industry vice minister Lou Qinjian said revenue generated by the industry in the first 10 months of this year was 3.4 trillion Chinese yuan (Bt15.4 trillion).

Shin Satellite was the only Thai telecom operator at the ITU meeting. The company will offer broadband services in China from next month using its iPSTAR satellite.

It showcased products including iMOVE that uses a special car antenna that allows vehicles to send and receive satellite broadband signals for voice and video. Shin Satellite hopes to win customers from business, Chinese governments, its military, broadcasters and emergency and disaster relief services.

iMOVE is available now in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand and throughout the rest of the Asia-Pacific region in 2007.

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation

HONG KONG