Alipay to assist China Mobile in mobile payments

According to the local Chinese media China Mobile’s Zhejiang branch is partnering with Alipay online payment company to launch a new mobile payment service for its customers. The source cites analysts that think “the cooperation is the first one China Mobile has entered into with a third-party online payment platform operator, said market observers. China Mobile, once the outrunner in the Chinese telecom market, used to take charge of every lucrative business itself in the past 2G era.” The service will be provided only to the residents of Zhejiang province, says the source.

Separately Chine Mobile also reported that it plans to launch TD-SCDMA wireless telephone service in 38 cities nationwide in May 2009 while aiming to achieve a 7 million mark of TD-SCDMA subscribers during the current year.