NEWS
BT becomes first global telco to receive
domestic licenses in China
B
T has announced that it has become the
first international telecommunications
company to receive nationwide licences
from the China Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology.
The two ‘value added licences’; China
nationwide Domestic IP-VPN licence
and China nationwide Internet Service
Provider (ISP) licence, enable BT China
Communications Limited to contract directly
with its customers in the country and bill
them in local currency.
between the governments of the PRC
and the UK, we are now able to offer a
nationwide service in China that can be
scaled up to match the ambitions and needs
of our customers. Being able to service
and bill locally significantly simplifies the
process of delivering connectivity and other
communication services. It is what our
customers expect from us and we are very
grateful for the opportunity to do this.”
International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox,
MP, said: “I am very pleased that close
cooperation between the UK and Chinese
governments has resulted in BT securing
these licences which will enable it to operate
across the country. This major milestone
exemplifies the vital work of my international
economic department to open up markets
and ensure that UK firms are represented on
the global stage.”
The value-added licences represent a
major step for BT in China where many of
its multinational customers require secure
and reliable connectivity to expand within
the country.
Bas Burger, CEO of Global Services, BT, said:
“We are delighted with this major benefit
for our customers. Thanks to cooperation
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UK utility companies’ days are numbered
according to research
W hile utility companies have greater
access to consumers than ever before,
the majority of UK customers still feel they
are being left in the dark, according to
research from Quadient. This spells bad news
for traditional utility providers – with 91% of
consumers willing to switch utility provider,
many believe that the days of large,
traditional utility companies are numbered. their utility providers did enough to contact
them the last time services were disrupted,
such as during the ‘Beast from the East’.
This is despite companies having more
customer data than ever: yet three quarters
(75%) of consumers said their own data
isn’t used to help them at all – and worse,
14% say this is despite their provider
promising to do so.
In a survey of 2,486 UK consumers aged 16
or older, fewer than a quarter (23%) believe Consumers are unlikely to put up with
this for long – more than half (52%) feel
they have more power in their relationship
with utility companies than they did five
years ago, with the vast majority willing
to switch their utility provider if they feel
dissatisfied. Perhaps most concerning
for traditional utility companies, 43%
of consumers have already stopped
using traditional providers in favour of
an alternative or are planning to, while a
further 41% believe things will get much
harder for them.
“Today’s consumers have less and less
patience for businesses that don’t know
how to use their information – and none
at all for those that don’t meet their own
promises,” said Mustafa Atik, Utilities Expert
at Quadient. “As new utility companies offer
incentives such as a more personal service,
companies must look at what consumers are
demanding and find a way to meet – and
ideally exceed – their needs, delivering a
first-class customer experience.”
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