China Telecom to speed expansion

But analysts say rising protectionism may foil firm's overseas ambition

China Telecom Corp Ltd, the nation's biggest fixed-line operator by revenue, will step up the pace of its overseas expansion and expects its global business unit to have 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in sales this year, according to the company's chairman.

China Telecom has seen its overseas business develop rapidly, especially after the company set up a global business subsidiary - China Telecom Global Ltd - in August, said China Telecom Chairman Wang Xiaochu on Monday.

"China Telecom has a presence mainly in three regions - Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas. We established China Telecom Global to coordinate different regions' relations and improve efficiency," Wang said.

In 2011, China Telecom achieved revenue of 6.7 billion yuan from its international business, and Wang predicted the figure will jump to 10 billion yuan by the end of this year.

In addition, China Telecom will be aggressive in overseas mergers and acquisitions, Wang said.

"It is for sure that China Telecom will conduct M&As globally, and we are training talent to be more well-prepared," Wang added.

China Telecom was the first of the domestic operators to go abroad. As early as 2002, China Telecom set up offices in the United States.

After a decade of development, the company's overseas branches covered 26 countries and regions. By 2011, it cooperated with 36 telecommunication operators worldwide to provide services.

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