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BT’s Global Services division has become first international telco to obtain domestic telecoms licences in China
BT has become the first international telecoms firm to be granted a domestic telecoms licence in China, according to a company release.
BT received two domestic Chinese licences from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology this week, in a move that will allow BT to bill its Chinese customers in their local currency and forge direct business relationships with them.
“We are delighted with this major benefit for our customers. Thanks to cooperation 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 as of today,” said Bas Burger, CEO of Global Services at BT.
The allocation of the ‘China Nationwide Domestic IP-VPN’ licence and the ‘China nationwide Internet Service Provider (ISP)’ licence will allow BT to expand its offering in China and will open up lucrative revenue opportunities in the world’s second biggest economy.
The move was greeted with enthusiasm by the UK’s international trade secretary Liam Fox, who hailed the issuing of the licences as a major milestone in UK-Chinese business relations.
“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,” he said.
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