Telecommunication Services In The Higher Education Market: China Telecom, Dalian

The Chinese government restructured and reorganized the telecommunications industry in May 2008. The Consolidation and reshuffling of different telecommunication services brought the number of players from 5 to 3, which is China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, yet significantly increased competition. The higher education market was one segment that faces increased competition from these 3 players. The market competition of campus telecommunications services is in full swing. This market segment will also become the core customers of telecommunication services in the future. With a large of customer number and being future innovators when it comes to adopting new products and services, this market is in a important strategic position.The number of college students and supporting faculty and staff in Dalian, China is in the number of 300,000. This thesis is about how China Telecom, the smallest of the 3 players, comes up with innovative solutions for universities, colleges and their students in Dalian, China. How China Telecom takes on the challenges and the opportunities, and finding the right strategy for expansion into this promising market segment while introducing a new technology into the marketplace.Using market demand analysis, SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces of competition, marketing strategy analysis, product differentiation, and other related marketing and economic theory and methods, this thesis two innovative solutions:"Campus Know All (CKA)", and Surfing mobile phone. The CKA is a student ID, payment device for individual students, and at the same time a campus wide information system. The Surfing mobile phone is a 3G mobile internet service targeting college students. The author discussed the marketing tactics, strategies, and implementations. This thesis has 5 sections; first, problem definition; second, market demand, service types, internal and external environmental factor analysis.; third, competitive analysis and the competitive advantage of China telecom; fourth, it narrows down the market analysis on "Campus Know it All" and 3G mobile internet services, their respective marketing strategies, service differentiation. A statistical analysis found a strong relationship between market share and marketing efforts. Fifth, the author discussed ways to improve the competitive advantages of China Telecom in the higher education market in Dalian.