Telcoms see room to cut roaming fee

Chinese telecommunication operators "have spaces to cut down" international roaming fees as users find them still expensive, the head of China's biggest telco said yesterday.

"There are still spaces (to cut down the fee) because improved technology has pushed down the cost," said Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile with over 700 million users.

From February 1, China Mobile has cut down the international roaming fees to between one and three yuan (16 and 48 US cents) for calls to 180 destinations including the United States, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. On average, they are 46 percent cheaper compared with the previous rates.

China Unicom, the country's No. 2 telco, also said recently it had cut the fees by 45 percent on average to 32 countries and regions.

Separately, China Mobile aims to invest more in 4G LTE (long term evolution) technology, which provides 20 to 50 times faster Internet access speed to mobile phone users compared with current 3G technology.