Fixed-line operators to get mobile licenses soon

Beijing will grant fixed-line telecom companies licenses to enter the mobile market in the near future, AFP reported. Vice Minister of Information Industry Xi Guohua said at a telecom forum in Beijing that the licenses would be granted "at an early date." Xi cited the slow growth in fixed-line subscribers, which have expanded only 1.1% since 2006, compared with mobile subscribers, which have risen by 13.5% over the same period, as the main reason for the action. According to unconfirmed reports, state-owned mobile carrier China Unicom could soon be split between two struggling fixed-line operators, China Telecom and China Netcom.