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China Telecommunications Services History

2009-01-03

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By 1987, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications became the agency tasked to administer China's telecommunications systems and related research and production facilities. On top of postal services, some of which were handled by electronic means, the ministry was involved in the delivery of a wide spectrum of services ranging from telephone, wire, telegraph, and international communications.

In 1982, the Ministry of Radio and Television was carved out of the Ministry as a separate entity, and mandated to administer and upgrade the status of television and radio broadcasting. Subordinate to this ministry were the Central People's Broadcasting Station, China Central Television and Radio Beijing. Organizations that were in charge with broadcasting training, talent-search, research, publishing, and manufacturing organizations were also brought under the umbrella of the Ministry of Radio and Television. Renamed Ministry of Radio, Cinema, and Television, it also took over in 1986 the responsibility for the movie industry, from the Ministry of Culture.

By 1987 the quality of telecommunications services in China had gone considerable improvements than in earlier years. Also, in the post-Mao period, foreign technology entered droves in the country while domestic production capabilities surged.

Primarily, the form of telecommunications in the 1980s was local and long-distance telephone service administered by six regional bureaus: Beijing (north region), Shanghai (east region), Xi'an (northwest region), Chengdu (southwest region), Wuhan (centralsouth region), and Shenyang (northeast region). These regional offices also functioned as switching centers for provincial-level subsystems. By 1986 China had nearly 3 million telephone exchange lines, including 34,000 long-distance exchange lines with direct, automatic service to 24 cities. As the end of 1986 was approaching, fiber optic communications technology gradually replaced existing telephone circuits.

Beijing and Shanghai served as overseas exchanges for international services. While Guangdong Province also served as an important gateway with its coaxial cable and microwave lines linking it to Hong Kong and Macau.

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China's international satellite communications network