In order to save the paucity of 3G phone numbers, Beijing Mobile, a subsidiary of China Mobile in Beijing, recently began giving the 182-prefix phone numbers for its existing Easyown and M-zone subscribers on a large scale, the Xinhua News reported on February 10. Following the release of the 182-prefix phone numbers by China Mobile, China Telecom recently also began releasing a batch of the 180-prefix phone numbers in China. China Telecom stated that its existing mobile service subscribers are able to keep the last eight or four digits of their current phone numbers, according to the same source.
Meanwhile, China Mobile recently announced that the company mulls purchasing a 4G license in Belgium, the Sohu IT News reported, citing chairman of China Mobile, Wang Jianzhou, as a part of the company's efforts to help develop TD-LTE (Time Division-Long Term Evolution) technology. Wang stated that the Chinese government has begun demonstrating 4G networks in six cities in China and will likely decide the timetable for the commercialization of 4G by the end of 2011. In addition, China Mobile revealed that the company was in talks with Facebook regarding the possible cooperation, without disclosing any further details though.