Great Wall, WWP join to upgrade broadband networks
12/4/2004 15:23
Great Wall Broa dband Network Service
Co. Ltd. (GWBN), the leading broadband Internet service provider in China,
announced yesterday plans to form a strategic partnership with US-based World
Wide Packets Inc. (WWP). The company hopes to tap China's broadband network
market, today's Beijing Morning Post reported.
"In the first half of the
year, we will pay out between 80 and 120 million yuan (US$9.7 million) to
upgrade the networks in 13 key cities," said Sun Ziqiang, GWBN's general
manager.
This cooperation with WWP will enable GWBN to increase its network
capacity nationwide from the existing 4 million users to 6 million, Sun hoped,
though he said he can't yet specify the growth margin.
The agreement was
reached after nearly half a year of trial cooperation, Sun said. Last year GWBN
invited WWP to help upgrade its networks nationwide when its network reported
frequent jamming due to the sharp increase of users.
Mainly targeting
residences, GWBN has built a broadband Internet access network across the
country. Its pay-for-service individual users have increased to 450,000 in three
years.
Its business users, originally its key target, now account for a mere
13 percent of the total.
GWBN hopes the upgrade of the network will help draw
more business users, according to Sun.
Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news
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