WILLCOM Inc. announced on November 11, 2007 that it has reached package agreement with China Netcom to promote the further development of PHS businesses. By this cooperation, the two companies will take measures to further develop the PHS market in China, including the introduction PHS packet data communication service.
http://www.willcom-inc.com/ja/corporate/press/2007/11/13/index.html

By this cooperation, PHS’ data communication market in China is expected to expand swiftly. In Japan, WILLCOM started data service as soon as voice service expanded. The quick yet flat-rated service helped to developed many business users for PHS. The data service provided by WILLCOM, which is known as Air H has almost become a nickname of mobile data communication in Japan considering its high market share. Can the same data communication service become a vogue in China too?

Now, let me introduce the content of respective PTT services in data communication service.

Qingdao:
128KB
Cost: RMB860 for a free data card and free data communication service for the first year. RMB60 per month is charged from the second year on for unrestricted data communication service.
PC cards are provided by Alcatel-Lucent and other Taiwan makers.

Quanzhou:
128KB
It costs RMB58 to open the service.
Although, if a lump payment of RMB630 is made, the RMB58 opening fee can be exempted and a free data card can be obtained.
Otherwise, a user needs to pay RMB for data communication service within 20 hours per month; to pay RMB68 for data communication service within 50 hours per month, to pay RMB98 for data communication service within 100 hours per month, to pay 6 cents per minute for service over the contracted time limit.
PC cards are provided by Alcatel-Lucent and other Taiwan makers.

Shanghai:
64K PIAFS
RMB1400 per year
PC cards are provided by ZTE and other Taiwan makers.
http://lyt.shphs.com/

Beijing:
64K PIAFS
RMB800 per year
PC cards are provided by UTS and other Taiwan makers.

Packet data communication is adopted in Qingdao and Quanzhou. Comparing to the traditional PIAFS communication, packet improved the efficiency of circuit, accelerated communication speed, and is hence able to provide service at flat rate. Due to this feature, packet method will become the mainstream for PHS data communication in future China.

At the current stage, PC card is still requested to insert in a computer to create a computer-mobile combined communication environment. But in near future, PHS will provide services better than other mobile services that’ll enable users to surf the internet, to receive and send mails, to download melodies and wallpaper with a simple handset.