(Approx. number of pages: 176)
Current publication date: July 2005 (11th Edition)
Next publication date: July 2006

Executive Summary

This report has 14 profiles covering some of the major telecommunications companies in Greater China, Japan and South Korea. Each profile provides a descriptive overview of the business of the particular company as well as the latest available financial and operational statistics.

• China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd ? China Mobile (Hong Kong) has the world?s largest mobile subscriber base (over 230 million) and the largest geographically contiguous mobile network. The company also has a strategic alliance with Vodafone.
• China Netcom Group ? China Netcom Group is the second largest fixed-line operator in China. The group owns 30% of the country?s fixed-line infrastructure and serves 35% of its fixed-line customers. As part of its infrastructure it has a 360Gb/s IP backbone network and the Asia Netcom submarine network. It was the last of the major telcos in China to go public, conducted an IPO in November 2004.
• China Telecom Group ? China Telecom Corporation commenced operations in September 2002 under a structure assigned following the government splitting it off from the state-owned China Telecom Group. It went public on HKSE and NYSE in November 2002. Although it has been predominantly a fixed-line service provider, more recently its revenue growth engines have included its PHS mobile service and broadband Internet.
• China Unicom Ltd ? China Unicom is the third largest mobile provider in the world and the second largest provider of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile services. Its principal activity continues to be GSM and CDMA mobile services, but is the country?s only operator licensed full service telco. The company is focusing on its rapidly expanding 2.5G CDMA 1X service and has also launched a dual-mode GSM-CDMA system.
• Hutchison Whampoa Ltd ? Hutchison Whampoa, a huge Hong Kong based conglomerate, has become heavily involved in telecommunications and is now a serious global player. As well as its Hong Kong business, it has a presence in 19 countries throughout Asia, Europe, Australasia, the Middle East and South America. Specialising in mobile communications, the company has invested billions in Third generation (3G) licences and infrastructure and has been at the forefront of the global 3G roll-out.
• KDDI Corporation ? KDDI is a Japan?s second largest telecommunications carrier after NTT Corporation. The company provides local, domestic long-distance and international fixed-line as well as mobile telecom services nationwide. It also offers Internet and IP services, dial-up access, and broadband through Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH). It launched its 3G mobile phone offerings in April 2002 and November 2003.
• KT Corporation ? South Korea?s KT Corporation was listed on the local and New York stock exchanges in 1998. The previously state-owned monopoly Korea Telecom was fully privatised in May 2002. The company owns the county?s fixed-line and satellite infrastructure, and also operates the country?s second largest mobile business through its subsidiary KTF. KT is one of the world?s largest broadband providers, claiming half the country?s saturated broadband market. Its expansion into new broadband products includes such services as WiFi hotspots, VDSL at 50Mb/s and broadband content delivery including TV and Video-on-Demand (VoD).
• NTT Corporation/ NTT Communications Corporation ? Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT Corp) functions primarily as a holding company for the NTT Group, which is the largest telecommunications operator in Japan. The Japanese government continues to be a major shareholder. The Group, with its many subsidiaries and affiliates, provides fixed-line local, long-distance and international telecommunications services, wireless telephony, data communications and Internet-based services. NTT Communications (NTT Com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT Corp, and is the group?s provider of domestic long-distance and international telecom services. NTT Com also offers ISP dial-up and broadband services in Japan, as well as global IP services.
• PCCW Ltd ? PCCW has been Hong Kong?s dominant fixed-line telecommunications provider since it acquired the incumbent, Cable and Wireless HKT, in 2000. Since the takeover, the company has been struggling with debt and organisational restructuring in its effort to remain viable. In January 2005, China Netcom reached an agreement with PCCW on the purchase of a 20% stake in PCCW for US$1 billion.
• REACH ? REACH is a 50/50 joint venture between Australia?s Telstra and Hong Kong-based PCCW. It is one of Asia?s largest international carriers of voice, IPLC and IP data traffic and has a major global transmission network enabling access to around 240 countries. REACH has suffered from aggressive price-cutting and a global glut in international capacity. The partners, Telstra and PCCW, have continued to put considerable effort into restructuring the business and weathering the commercial difficulties.
• SK Telecom Co Ltd ? SK Telecom (SKT) is the largest operator in the dynamic South Korean mobile market, with a more than 50% share. The company provides 2G and 3G mobile services, handset manufacturing and Internet services. SKT also has mobile telephone interests in China, Mongolia, Vietnam and Cambodia. In 2002, SKT launched the world?s first CDMA2000 network with data speeds of 2.4Mb/s.