Kan Kaili's Viewpoint: Reflections and Challenges for the Telecommunications Industry

Author: Kan Kaili
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Rather than calling the "Little Genius" the "extension of urban telephone," it is more accurate to say it is the "extension of the natural monopoly of urban telephone." Manufacturers are in a hurry, operators are steady, and consumers are indifferent to 3G. This typical "value chain inversion" cannot go unnoticed. To say that universal telecommunications service is a "common excuse for monopoly and violence" is by no means sensational. The "invisible hand" of market competition far surpasses the "visible hand" of government price control. Faced with such, our consumers have been "exploited" by telecommunications fees far too severely. How can "loss of state-owned assets" even be mentioned? With the technological revolution in electronics, computers, information, and networks over the past half-century, global telecommunications reforms have been underway for over two decades, and China's telecommunications reforms have lasted more than a decade. However, the turbulence in the telecommunications industry has not only failed to subside but has instead intensified. The question we need to consider is: How will the telecommunications reforms continue? Will they be a "patchwork" based on the existing framework, or must they undergo a fundamental revolution? How will this reform shape the future industrial structure, national economy, and even social forms? On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, at the invitation of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications Press, I have compiled some of my articles over the past decade, with the theme "Information Society and the Future of Telecommunications" as the preface, into this book titled "Thoughts and Challenges for the Telecommunications Industry." The purpose is to report to society my understanding of the aforementioned issues and the trajectory of their formation. Without a doubt, many of the issues are highly controversial and still in the process of exploring answers. Therefore, I sincerely welcome readers to join in the effort to seek answers, including "thinking and challenging" the views presented in this book.