State Council approves tech convergence program

China’s State Council approved a pilot program to merge telephone, internet and television services into a single cable, reported the South China Morning Post. The program will be launched in several pilot cities in the coming years, said Wang Xiaojie, the head of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television’s Shanghai technology bureau. The convergence will require at least US$88 billion and could invite US$147 billion in investment over the next three years. The merger plan includes two phases: from 2010 to 2012, trial sites for merged services will be launched and a regulation framework will be established, then from 2013-2015, business services will be launched. Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Harbin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Changsha and Xinzhou are forecasted to be the pilot cities, but the final list will be released Friday.