The Chinese government's measured approach to 3G (third-generation) mobile services has left industry observers guessing when 3G licenses will be issued, but the strategy plays to the advantage of operators and equipment makers in the world's most populous country, according to industry analysts.
Lucent Technologies Inc. last month announced the availability of Release 3.1 of its ClientCare Call Center Deluxe Edition software. The product lets a service provider transform telephone systems at small and midsize business customers into contact management centres. ClientCare Call Center Deluxe Edition performs inbound call handling and routing. It also supports simultaneous voice, e-mail, fax, chat, callback, call-through handling and Web-based queries.
The aftermath of yet another bout of bloodletting in the network communications industry saw a dazed and confused CEO of a major equipment maker simply throw up his hands in frustration.
To fuel its booming mobile phone market, China to date has relied on imported technology. That may be about to change. A homegrown standard for next-generation networks could give Chinese companies an edge and allow them to grab a slice of a market dominated by European and U.S. suppliers.