The Chinese State Council has chosen 12 cities and regions, including Shanghai, in a trial of Three Network Convergence which will create cross-platform services such as IPTV, mobile TV and online broadcasts, reports the Xinhuanet news agency.
The first batch of pilot cities includes Beijing, Dalian in Liaoning Province, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Shanghai, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Xiamen in Fujian Province, Qingdao in Shandong Province, Wuhan in Hubei Province, Changzhutan region (including Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan cities) in Hunan Province, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province and Mianyang in Sichun Province.
Network convergence will permit telecoms and broadcasting companies to enter each other’s turf, offering IPTV, mobile TV and online broadcasting organizations on a single unified and connected network.
The General Administration of Press and Publication will regulate content and distribution of IPTV and mobile TV, according to Wang Xiaojie, general director of GAPP’s science and technology division.
“The TV set (300 million in China) is the most popular and affordable device for new integrated services, compared with computers,” said Wang. “The biggest bottleneck of the current TV network is single-way transition but it will change through the network upgrade in the pilot cities.”
Shanghai Media Group, the city’s No. 1 media conglomerate, said it would develop mobile TV, IPTV and VOD (video on demand) services during the testing, according to Zhang Dazhong, VP of SMG.
Shanghai has led network convergence nationwide. The city had more than 1 million IPTV users by 2009, ranking it top in China. Meanwhile, China Mobile has launched mobile TV services in the city.
In the future, people can use a mobile phone to watch TV and surf the internet, use a TV to phone other people and use computers with online tools to phone others and watch TV, said Zeng Jianqiu, a professor at Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications.
About Robert Briel
"In an industry that experiences rapid change and often a confusing subsequent
constant supply of news, it is often refreshing to read an insightful perspective. Broadband
TV News and its editorial team regularly provide a context and
helpful analysis to breaking news.”
Broadband TV News is the must-read publication for those working in the Business of the Multiscreen Television. We deliver news, insight and data direct to your desktop. As well as our constantly updated website you can sign-up to our Daily and Weekly email bulletins. 
Connected TV Forecasts NEW REPORT. The number of TV sets connected to the Internet will reach 551 million by 2016 for the 40 countries covered in this report from Digital TV Research, up from 124 million at end-2010. The report states that this translates to 20% of global TV sets by 2016, up from only 6% at end-2010. Published in November 2011, this 83-page PDF report is the most geographically comprehensive to ever be published.