Shanghai’s wireless telecommunications subscribers now have a new way to quickly locate entertainment and business information, thanks to a new short-message service launched over the weekend - the first of its kind in the city.

The service, which provides directions to the nearest restaurant along with a host of other contact data, creates the potential for an annual 200 million Yuan (US$25 million) advertising market.

The new system is being run by the China Internet Network Information Center, the country's Internet regulator, and Huyi Global Info Resource Group.

Under the search service, users receive information after sending a message containing a keyword to a fixed number, 916076. The information is limited, however, to companies that have paid to list on the network. During a trial period, Lenovo, HSBC and Haier subscribed to the service.

Advertisers pay 1,000 Yuan to list brand names, but they have to pay 5,000 Yuan to be found under an industry-level keyword such as "computer" or "flower."

"The advantages of the service are its wide coverage and localized information," CNNIC said. The operators say they can provide localized services for advertisers by tracking the locations of mobile phone calls.

The wireless keyword advertising should be an economical means for companies to promote themselves, as they can reach China's 450 million handset subscribers, compared with 123 million Internet users and 150 million newspaper readers, according to CNNIC.

The wireless search market revenue is forecast to reach 196 million Yuan this year, up from 25 million Yuan in 2005. Wireless subscribers are expected to hit 34 million by the end of 2006, triple the figure from a year ago. It's a promising market as 3G services are on the horizon. Then people will be able to search on their handsets the same way they do today on their personal computers.

Source:佚名