news

On August 6, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Opinions on Innovating the Management of the Information and Communications Industry and Optimizing the Business Environment" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"). The "Opinions" proposed to further pilot the expansion of the opening of value-added telecommunications services. Increase support for private enterprises to participate in mobile communications resale and other business and service innovations, and orderly promote the reform of the satellite Internet business access system.

Relevant analysis points out that this will attract more domestic and foreign capital, increase market competition, help build a more open and transparent telecommunications business market, and achieve a new situation of higher-level opening up. At the same time, by giving private enterprises policy space, it will help highlight the status of enterprises as the main body of innovation, further enhance the innovation vitality of private enterprises, improve international competitiveness, and also bring broader application scenarios to the satellite Internet industry.

Further opening up of value-added telecommunications services

It is reported that the Opinion defines 12 key tasks in four aspects: access, competition, supervision and service. Among them, the Opinion puts forward three points in terms of continuously optimizing an efficient, open and unified access environment, including optimizing market access management. For new technologies and applications involving multiple types of telecommunications services, strengthen business guidance, optimize the approval process, and achieve "one-time application, one-stop approval".

Strengthen support for innovative development. Accelerate the formulation of supporting policies for the innovative development of new technologies and new businesses, and encourage enterprises to further deepen technological innovation and industrial applications in emerging fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and quantum information.

Expand the opening up of telecommunications services. Promote the formation of a new situation of high-level opening up to the outside world, and further pilot the expansion of value-added telecommunications services. Deepen the opening up of telecommunications services to private capital, increase support for private enterprises to participate in mobile communications resale and other business and service innovation, orderly promote the reform of the satellite Internet business access system, and better support the development of private telecommunications enterprises.

It is worth noting that in early April this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on the Pilot Work of Expanding the Opening-up of Value-added Telecommunications Businesses", which proposed to first carry out the pilot work in Beijing's Comprehensive Demonstration Zone for Expanding the Opening-up of the Service Industry, the Lingang New Area of ​​the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Leading Area for Socialist Modernization Construction, the Hainan Free Trade Port, and the Shenzhen Pilot Demonstration Zone for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

Zhu Keli, executive director of the China Information Association and founding president of the National Research Institute of New Economy, told the Beijing Business Daily that the "further pilot expansion of value-added telecommunications business opening" proposed in the Opinions is of great significance, which can attract more domestic and foreign capital to enter this field, increase market competition vitality, and promote the development of related technological innovation. More importantly, this measure will help build a more open and transparent telecommunications business market and provide consumers with more diversified and high-quality services. In the long run, it will further enhance the international competitiveness of my country's telecommunications business and better integrate into the global telecommunications market, thereby achieving a new situation of higher-level opening up to the outside world.

Private telecom enterprises welcome more development opportunities

"As a strategic, basic and leading industry in the national economy, the information and communication industry is a key force in promoting the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy." A relevant person in charge of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explained that the "Opinions" aims to further improve policy measures to support the high-quality development of information and communication companies by comprehensively optimizing industry management systems, methods and means, to further stimulate the endogenous driving force of companies, and to better play the enabling role of the information and communication industry in "one industry leading a hundred industries."

It is reported that as of now, the number of telecommunications and Internet companies in the country has reached 169,000, of which more than 92% are privately held companies, and the number of foreign-invested telecommunications companies has increased by more than 35% year-on-year.

Zhang Shijie, chief scientist of Galaxy Aerospace (Beijing) Network Technology Co., Ltd., said in an interview with Beijing Business Daily that the "Opinion" proposed to "increase support for private enterprises to participate in mobile communications resale and other businesses and service innovations, and orderly promote the reform of the satellite Internet business access system" will help broaden the channels and scope for private enterprises to participate in telecommunications business operations, and send a positive signal of lowering the market entry threshold for satellite Internet services. Private satellite Internet companies are expected to gain more development opportunities.

"At the same time, by giving private enterprises policy space, it will help highlight the position of enterprises as the main body of innovation, further enhance the innovative vitality of private enterprises, seize the time window for the development of my country's satellite Internet industry, enhance international competitiveness, and bring broader application scenarios to the satellite Internet industry. We are also looking forward to the gradual implementation of specific measures from the release of the "Opinions"." Zhang Shijie said.

Innovative, inclusive and prudent supervision deserves attention

According to the Opinion, a standardized, transparent and predictable regulatory environment will be further created. Specifically, innovative inclusive and prudent regulatory methods will be adopted. A long-term regulatory mechanism based on credit will be improved, and a new industry management model of pre-credit commitment, in-process credit classification supervision, and post-credit repair will be promoted to guide enterprises to consciously operate in compliance with regulations. Flexible regulatory measures such as administrative guidance and administrative interviews will be promoted. In accordance with the principles of legality, science, and prudence, the specific standards for "minor violations without punishment" in the field of information and communications will be refined, and supporting regulatory systems will be improved to give business entities room for error tolerance and correction in accordance with the law.

Build the supervision capability of "network management network". Accelerate the exploration of the application of new technologies such as big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence in supervision, promote remote supervision and online supervision, and further improve the effectiveness of supervision.

In addition, administrative supervision and law enforcement should be strictly regulated. Comprehensive supervision should be strengthened, the comprehensive supervision system and mechanism in the Internet field should be further improved, cross-regional and cross-departmental comprehensive law enforcement should be actively explored, and the sharing and mutual recognition of supervision information and law enforcement cooperation should be promoted to avoid multiple inspections and repeated law enforcement.

"The innovative, inclusive and prudent regulatory approach proposed in the Opinion is also worthy of special attention." Pan Helin, a well-known economist and member of the Information and Communications Economics Expert Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told the Beijing Business Daily that this shows that future telecommunications regulation will have a "stronger focus."

Zhu Keli further pointed out that the innovative, inclusive and prudent regulatory approach reflects the flexibility and foresight of government regulation, and is expected to create a more relaxed environment for industry development.

"In the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will improve the working mechanism for optimizing the business environment and implement it in accordance with local conditions; open up channels for communication between government and enterprises, conduct policy implementation effect evaluation in an orderly manner, and continuously improve the accuracy, scientificity, and effectiveness of industry management; do a good job in promoting typical cases, summarize good practices and cases in the construction of the industry's business environment, and promote them nationwide to form a good atmosphere of mutual learning and mutual promotion among all regions." A relevant person in charge of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Jin Chaoli Cheng Liang