VOIP IN CHINA - NOT UNTIL CHINA's TELECOM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 012988 SIPDIS USDOC FOR DAS LEVINE AND 4420/ITA/MAC/CEA/MCQUEEN STATE PASS USTR USTR FOR STRATFORD/WINTER/MCCARTIN/GRIER USTR FOR MCHALE/WINELAND TREASURY FOR OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT TREASURY FOR OASIA/ISA-DOHNER AND KOEPKE GENEVA PASS USTR SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD EINV ECPS PGOV ASEC WTRO CH SUBJECT: VOIP IN CHINA - NOT UNTIL CHINA's TELECOM COMPANIES ARE READY ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Enthusiasm in China for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was evidenced by over 1,400 registered attendees at a June 14-16 China VoIP Conference & Expo in Beijing. While VoIP technology is mature and software like Skype is but a download away, China's VoIP companies are faced with not only regulatory, security and legal obstacles but also by the fact that China Telecom is exerting massive pressure on the Chinese Government to rein in VoIP. End Summary. The Conference -------------- ¶2. (U) Organized by the Hong Kong based InfoEx World Services, the June 14-16 China VoIP Conference & Expo in Beijing included Chinese Government officials such as senior officials from the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) and from the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Research, as well business representatives such as senior managers from China Telecom, Unicom, Netcom and hardware producers such as Intel, IBM, Avaya, ZTE and UTStarcom. Most strikingly, the organizer of the conference confirmed that many of the attendees were in their twenties or thirties with most running their own small (around ten people) niche companies. VoIP: A History and Why It Scares the Chinese Government -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) VoIP is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet. The concept of VoIP has been around since the early 70's and today's version is the commercialization of a Network Voice Protocol created for the Department of Defense's ARPANET in 1973. VoIP uses packet switching technology where data is cut up into small packages, sent over several machines and then reconstituted when the data reaches its destination. This is in contrast to circuit based technology where a single dedicated line is used for the duration of a call. It is the nature of packet switching technology that is the major concern for the Chinese Government, regulators and watchdogs. The Problems -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Mr. Xu Heyuan, Senior Engineer at the Research Institute of Telecommunications Research of MII, admitted to Econoff that, despite a ban, VoIP is widely available and in use in China but that issues of security and emergency calling still have to be resolved. Mr Xu did not elaborate as to what kind of security problems need to be resolved but indicated that content was a factor. In contrast to security issues he underlined how emergency calling is the key problem. (Note: Since VoIP uses the Internet to route calls there is no fixed physical location for emergencies responders to track calls unless the caller states an address. End Note.) However the Vice President (VP) of Germany based semiconductor company Infineon stated that because packet switching involves the breaking down of data into tiny unrecognizable pieces of information it is extremely difficult and astronomically expensive to set up a system to track and monitor the content of PC to PC calls. The only way a government can prevent PC to PC calls is to block users from downloading the software or by imposing and enforcing strict penalties. China has already blocked companies like Skype from offering PC to Phone services by not allowing them to set up gateways in China and postponing the issuance of operating licenses until at least 2008. A further obstacle for VoIP is that in order for it to function effectively a broadband or DSL connection is optimal. However, outside of China's larger cities broadband is not widely available leading to quality of service issues. BEIJING 00012988 002 OF 002 Stacking the Deck -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Infineon VP and the Asia Pacific VP for Intel both stated that the Chinese Government has purposely yet to offer any clear guidance, either legal or regulatory, concerning the deployment of VoIP service in China. Financially, it is much cheaper to maintain a VoIP network but companies like China Telecom are stalling VoIP from becoming a mass market product for two reasons. First, they have to recoup the massive investments they made to build up a traditional circuit based telephony infrastructure in China. Second, the government is giving domestic telcos time to build up the necessary technological and marketing know-how before launching their own VoIP services. The Intel VP said that allowingthe liberalization of the market at this timewould create the legal platform for foreign cmpanies like Skype to press the government for equal market access before the domestic tecos are ready t enter the fray. As a result, China Telecom, backed by the State-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has pushed MII to block PC to Phone services in China but also made sure that this edict is not enforced for domestic companies. Thus, this opaque equation means that the VoIP market in China can thrive "illegally" with the charge being led by the five domestic telecom companies - China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, China Mobile and China Railcom. The Real Deal -------------- ¶6. (SBU) According to the Chief Technology Officer of U.S. media gateway company Cantata, there are over 4,000 underground VoIP operators in China not including the major telcos that offer their own tiered calling services. He explained that these underground VoIP sellers go to companies and sell them the technology and hardware to allow companies or individuals to access existing telecom lines via the VoIP route. Meanwhile, China Telecom has also begun running VoIP trials, but in order to make sure that its bottom line is not affected, these trials are being conducted in rival China Netcom's operating territories. Furthermore, the domestic telcos are fooling their customers by pitching traditional telephony services in the guise of VoIP services. (Note: Accessing this VoIP service is done by buying an access card available at many retail stores in Chinese cities. End Note). However, the quality of this service is deliberately poor allowing the telcos to both pitch their more expensive premium services and to also dampen the enthusiasm for VoIP until they are ready to launch it themselves as such. And launch it themselves they will. The Future of VoIP -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Asia Pacific VP for Intel believes that VoIP has a bright future in China. The technology has already been deployed in many countries around the world and VoIP offers Chinese telecom companies a clear path to reduce their operating costs and to create a stream of cheap Value Added Services. He went on to say that as broadband in China becomes more widely available customers will benefit from the lower cost per call that VoIP offers. He predicts that when they are ready the telcos will tell their customers that the technology has now improved and will present high quality VoIP as either part of triple or quad play media packages or a single service such as Vonnage and Skype now offer in the United States. Randt