Unicom, ISPs in VAS alliance
12 May 2005
China Unicom formed an alliance with the country's 20 top Internet-related service providers (ISPs) in a bid to boost its wireless value-added services (VAS) business, whose low penetration has been blamed partly on thinly spread marketing dollars and small, underperforming ISPs. In March, Unicom's monthly wireless VAS revenues reached US$84.8m, accounting for 11.7% of its revenues from mobile services. Among the companies Unicom signed on were Sina Corp, Sohu.com, NetEase.com and Shanda Interactive Entertainment as well as Hong Kong-listed Tencent.