July 8, 2004
Cordless Phones With No Frills Are Hit in China
Interesting insight on cell phones and a fast-growing Chinese service called "Xiaolingtong," or "Little Smart" from the WSJ.
"The global telecommunications industry keeps pouring money into futuristic wireless services with mystifying names like 3G, EVDO and WiMax. But in China, the world's largest phone market, people clamor for something much more basic: a simple service based on cordless-phone technology.
There are already an astounding 50 million subscribers in China to Xiaolingtong, including many in big cities like Beijing. This wireless/fixed-line hybrid is little known outside of China and Japan, where it originated about a decade ago.
Most Xiaolingtong phones offer no frills: Users can make local calls and send simple text messages, but they can't "roam" from one city to another. The phones, as small and sleek as regular cellphones, are powered by rooftop-mounted base stations, which are specially equipped antennas that send signals a little more than a mile. That's a lot farther than cordless phones that allow callers to roam as far as their backyards before losing reception".
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