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China Unicom and Telefonica, both big names in global telecommunications, have announced an extended partnership in which they would provide mutual infrastructure support and continue an existing alliance. The specifics are pretty vague, but after all is said and done, China Unicom will own 0.88% of Telefonica, and Telefonica will own 8% of China Unicom after investing $1 billion into one another. A mutal, financial vested interest is a great way to solidify a strategic partnership, and will hopefully reward both parties in the long run. China Unicomis is still nailing down its iPhone agreement, and could use the extra help competing against China Mobile, who is currently the world’s second-largest mobile service provider (Telefonica has third place). Conversely, Telefonica could stand to profit by investing before the iPhone starts spreading across China. For more info, hit the links.
[via Telefonica, China Unicom]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
