Chinese mobile content market on rebound

The Wall Street Journal today reports China's mobile content market is making a comeback after new operating rules sent stock prices into freefall earlier this year. In June 2006, carriers China Mobile and China Unicom instituted new regulations aimed at cracking down on fraudulent charges and similar abuses of value-added services by small, little-known operators--the moves nevertheless impacted "legitimate" wireless services firms in the process, sending their stocks plummeting, but in recent months shares are back on the rise, an upsurge analysts say indicates the regulations may not cause as much damage as previously feared.

At 449 million subscribers and counting, the Chinese mobile market is the world's largest. Beijing consulting firm BDA China estimates that subscribers spend an average of about six yuan (about 75 cents U.S.) on mobile content downloads--ringback tones alone rake in as much as $430 million a year, BDA says.

For more on the Chinese market rebirth:
- read the Wall Street Journal article (sub. req.)