DeNA Signs Carrier Deals in China
DeNA has landed deals in China for Mobage with all three main telcos, total 120M 3G subs, over last 30-days: http://bit.ly/H5CS8K
TOKYO – Mar. 28, 2012 – DeNA Co., Ltd. announced today that its Chinese subsidiary has recently signed deals with China’s three largest mobile carriers, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, cumulatively serving nearly 1 billion subscribers. DeNA has already begun providing Chinese versions of mobile gaming apps on DeNA’s Mobage social games platform (Mobage China) through the carriers’ official mobile app stores.
Android-compatible smartphone users in China can now easily find Mobage China’s high-quality, free-to-play gaming apps in the carriers’ official mobile app stores, without having to search through websites. China Mobile subscribers can also take advantage of direct carrier billing, where virtual item purchases on Mobage China are conveniently included in their monthly phone bills. DeNA China plans to enable direct carrier billing options on Mobage China for other two carriers by this summer.
China Mobile’s official Mobile Market app store started offering gaming apps from Mobage China since March 1. China Mobile reported nearly 650 million mobile subscribers, of which over 51 million are 3G subscribers, as of February 22.
China Unicom launched a dedicated section for Mobage China on its official Wo Store on March 8, where players can download Mobage China apps. As of February 2012, China Unicom had over 205 million mobile subscribers, of which more than 45 million are 3G subscribers.
A Mobage China section also opened on China Telecom’s official Tianyi Space app store on February 29. As of December 2011, China Telecom had over 126 million mobile subscribers, of which more than 36 million are 3G subscribers.
Since Android’s official Google Play store is currently not supported in China, it is common among smartphone users in the country to discover and download Android apps via services operated by local mobile operators, handset manufacturers and Internet companies. In an effort to expand the user base and increase business opportunities for game developers worldwide, DeNA China has formed a number of alliances with operators of such services in the country. DeNA Group launched Mobage China for Android in July 2011 and iOS in November 2011.