14 Aug 2009 14:21

China Telecom's Best Tone services bring in revenue of $482.89 mln in H1

Beijing. August 14. INTERFAX-CHINA - China Telecom's Best Tone services generated revenue of RMB 3.3 billion ($482.89 million) for the telecom operator in the first half of 2009, up nearly 40 percent year-on-year, China Telecom announced on Aug. 14.

China Telecom provides information services including search, travel ticket booking, hotel reservation and personal communication assistant services under the Best Tone brand. It set up a subsidiary, China Telecom Group Best Tone Information Service Co. Ltd., to manage Best Tone services in Shanghai in August 2008.

Wang Wei, general manager of Best Tone Information Service, said in the announcement that China Telecom's revenue from information services for the whole of 2007 only reached RMB 3.3 billion ($482.69 million).

Best Tone services have boosted China Telecom's development and accounted for 2.8 percent of the company's operating revenue in the first half of the year, Wang said. Wang estimated that Best Tone services will generate at least RMB 7.5 billion ($1.1 billion) in revenue in 2009.

According to a July 20 report by state-run People's Daily, Best Tone Information Service generated nearly RMB 5 billion ($731.61 million) in revenue in 2008.

-CG