Recently, China Unicom launched an online shopping feature for its users to buy phone cards and tariff packages via the web. China Unicom users can select their favorite numbers and different levels of tariff packages on the web by logging onto the company On-line Business Hall (www.10010.com). Phone numbers available include both pre-paid cards like Ru Yi Tong or the Up Power and post-paid ones like the World Wind. Users may fill out the contract online and pay relevant charges via the on-line banking. The rest of the thing will be taken care of by China Unicom i.e., delivering the card right to the doorstep of the user house.

It is reported that China Unicom Online Business Hall released nearly 20,000 cute numbers, allowing users the latitude to pick up the one they love at first sight. The marketing model of number cards also brought into play the information-rich and interactive feature of the Internet. Users may learn about and sign up to a multitude of tariff packages, which include GPRS traffic packages, SMS packages, MMS packages and local call packages based on their needs. During the trial period, China Unicom provided free card delivery as well. Presently, the online card shopping service is running quite well.

It is noteworthy that, via China Unicom's Online Business Hall, users may not only pick up telephone numbers for themselves, but for friends and family members who are away in other cities as well. It is reported that there are a lot of white-collars who selected prepaid Ru Yi Tong cards via the web for their parents and had the cards delivered to the hands of their family members. On top of convenience and efficiency, what they are concerned about is that they can recharge the cellphone accounts and pay fixed-line charges for their parents via the web, thus saving the grey-hairs the pain of queuing up in banks.

Currently the online card shopping service of China Unicom is mainly targeting at university graduates and young white collars, who do online shopping regularly and turn to online banking for payment. What they are concerned about is the quantity of available numbers, the simplicity and clarity of tariff packages as well as the timely logistics support. In this regard, China Unicom will continue to improve its relevant processes to provide users with fast, convenient and simple web-based services.

To encourage users to buy cards and tariff packages online, China Unicom will carry out a gift dispatch program from April via its Online Business Hall. A user will get a 60-yuan worth of complimentary call charges once he successfully buys a number card online. (Lian Xuan, People's Posts and Telecoms News)