US software giant Microsoft has signed a co-operation agreement with China United Telecom, the number two mobile phone services operator in China, Dow Jones reported. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will help to develop a system for China Unicom to offer value-added services on its CDMA 1x network, a high-speed variant of code division multiple access. The partners will also jointly promote the use in China of mobile phones based on Microsoft's software, known as Pocket PC Phone Edition.
China Unicom claims to operate the world's largest CDMA mobile phone system, with 8m subscribers. This is planned to grow to 20m by the end of this year.
Newsweek to enter Chinese market Vertex Communications and Technology Group of Hong Kong plans a May launch of Newsweek Select, a Chinese monthly edition of the US magazine Newsweek, in partnership with China National Publication Import and Export Corp. South China Morning Post said that the new publication would contain lifestyle, health and entertainment features, and would avoid more controversial political issues. The circulation target is 80,000 to 100,000 copies.
Vertex also plans to issue MIT Technology Review in June and follow this with other travel and business-oriented titles as part of a plan to increase the share of its Chinasourced revenue from 10 to 40 per cent. The company recently set up a joint venture with China Audio and Video Publishing House, a unit of the Ministry of Culture, to expand into areas such as audio and video programme production and online applications.
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