China Mobile pushing Fetion

China Mobile confirmed on Tuesday that it recently sent text messages to users of Fei­liao, one of its instant messaging platforms, suggesting that they download another similar app­lication called Fetion, but indicated that there would be no interruption to Feiliao service.

"Our texts to users will not affect current customers' normal use of Feiliao or Fetion," China Mobile said in an e-mail to the Global Times Tuesday, noting that the text was sent to "provide users with better service and superior experience."

The text message informed Feiliao users that they would no longer be able to exchange messages with their Fetion friends on the Feiliao platform starting Wednesday, and suggested they download the newest version of the Fetion application.

Feiliao, introduced in late 2011, allows users to exchange text, voice and picture messages with their friends using the Internet. Its major competitor is Tencent Holdings' popular WeChat service.

Fetion, launched in mid 2007, was initially used among China Mobile's cell phone subscribers, and allows users to send SMS messages from computers to cell phones.

The 21st Century Business Herald on Tuesday cited an unnamed company insider as saying that China Mobile will no longer offer the Feiliao service.

The source said that although the firm will not immediately shut the platform down, it will stop updating, maintaining and promoting the service.

The newspaper also claimed that Feiliao has garnered only 3 million users, just 1 percent of WeChat's count of over 300 million.

However, news portal sina.com.cn on Monday cited another unnamed source as saying that China Mobile "attaches great importance to both Fei­liao and Fetion," and will likely embed some of Feiliao's functions into Fetion to make the latter stronger.

China Mobile did not comment on the two possibilities in its e-mail to the Global Times.

Ma Jihua, a telecom analyst with Beijing Daojing Consultant Co, told the Global Times Tuesday that it was unfair to conclude that China Mobile might suspend Feiliao because it has fewer users than WeChat.

"China Mobile developed Feiliao to test the waters of the Internet-based chat market, but WeChat is one of Tencent's signature products. The two companies put different levels of efforts into the products," he said.

Nevertheless, Ma said it would be wise for China Mobile to drop Feiliao and strengthen Fetion with Feiliao functions such as voice messaging.

"China Mobile has to figure out the product positioning of Fetion and Feiliao, which are currently too similar," he said.

Fu Liang, a Beijing-based independent telecom analyst, echoed Ma's comments, noting that if China Mobile decides to drop Feiliao and amp up Fetion, the upgraded product will face stiff competition from QQ's mobile messaging service.

"China Mobile should wisely use its strongest resource, its large number of cell phone subscribers, to popularize the new Fetion," he said.