 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(November 2018) |
P-Plus Communications Co. Limited was a PCS/GSM company based in Hong Kong originally formed by a consortium led by PEWC, Star Paging, Telecom Finland, Telecom Paging, Asia Paging, BB Telecom, Epro Telecom, and 2 other smaller paging companies in 1995. The consortium was successful in winning the first PCS/GSM 1800 license issued by Hong Kong's OFTA (one of six that was issued) in 1995. P-Plus Communications Limited won the first mobile license in Asia by Hong Kong-based paging companies who had the strategic plan to be part of the mobile value-chain. PEWC, a Taiwanese company, had later in 1996 also won the tender bidding contest in Taiwan for the PCS license in Taiwan and is currently the market leader in Mobile services and one who also own a fixed network license in Taiwan. P-Plus was acquired and integrated to become Smartone's Extra (1800Mhz) services in 1998. [1]
At the most basic level, Personal Communications Service (PCS) describes a set of communications capabilities which allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management. More specifically, PCS refers to any of several types of wireless voice or wireless data communications systems, typically incorporating digital technology, providing services similar to advanced cellular mobile or paging services. In addition, PCS can also be used to provide other wireless communications services, including services which allow people to place and receive communications while away from their home or office, as well as wireless communications to homes, office buildings and other fixed havelocations. Described in more commercial terms, PCS is a generation of wireless-phone technology that combines a range of features and services surpassing those available in analog- and digital-cellular phone systems, providing a user with an all-in-one wireless phone, paging, messaging, and data service.
GSM is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. It was first deployed in Finland in December 1991. As of 2014, it has become the global standard for mobile communications – with over 90% market share, operating in over 193 countries and territories.
Taiwan Mobile is a mobile phone operator based in Taiwan. It is the third largest behind Chunghwa Telecom and FarEasTone.
Telecom Finland, who co-founded the GSM MoU (now GSM Association), was the technical partner and the seven paging companies each contributed their billing and customer care experience and access to RF planning and sites access. PEWC was the largest shareholder (and the only Taiwanese shareholder to have involved in bidding of a PCS license in HK), who also had a 5% stake in the world-renowned Iridium Satellite communication project and increasing foothold and exposure in their home country. Taiwan had chosen focus their resources and capabilities for Taiwan and hence chose to exit the Hong Kong markets, which inadvertently had led to the sale of P-Plus to SmarTone in 1998. P-Plus was the first carrier in Hong Kong to have proposed to OFTA and to have offered per-second billing plan which intended to offer to the mass-market an alternative pricing-plan solution for a market that is only adapted to per-minute billing increments. P-Plus was then using Nokia's mobile network infrastructure and had deployed Hong Kong wide services.
SmarTone Telecommunications Holdings Limited, trading as SmarTone is a telecommunications company headquartered in Hong Kong. The group provided services via their operating subsidiaries, such as SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited in Hong Kong and SmarTone – Comunicações Móveis, S.A. in Macau, two special administrative regions of China. The company provides voice, multimedia and mobile broadband services through its territory-wide 4G and 3G networks, as well as fixed fibre broadband services for the consumer and corporate markets, and plain SIM card. SmarTone is a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate Sun Hung Kai Properties.
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company, founded in 1865. Nokia's headquarters are in Espoo, in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area. In 2017, Nokia employed approximately 102,000 people across over 100 countries, did business in more than 130 countries, and reported annual revenues of around €23 billion. Nokia is a public limited company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange. It is the world's 415th-largest company measured by 2016 revenues according to the Fortune Global 500, having peaked at 85th place in 2009. It is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.
