Speaking at the ceremony, which also marks the launch of China Telecom's Frankfurt and London international network nodes, Leng Rongquan, Executive Deputy General Manager of China Telecom, described the move as "customer extension, services extension, and networks extension".

"China Telecom Europe wants to play a major role in promoting trade between Europe and Asia. We want to better serve our customers with secure, reliable and cost effective telecommunications solutions," Leng said.

The founding of China Telecom (Europe) Ltd., he said, would increase effectively China Telecom's competitive edge in the international telecommunications industry in addition to improving its brand values.

China Telecom is China's largest fixed-line network operator serving some 220 million fixed-line subscribers and 27 million broadband users.

The company pledges to continue its aggressive expansion into overseas markets to provide even better worldwide communication services for all its customers, especially for Chinese companies outside the mainland.

Brian Shaw, managing director of UK Trade and Investment, welcomed China's largest basic telephone operator to Britain, saying the move indicated that the country had a favorable environment for Chinese enterprises to explore overseas markets and enter Europe.

The European expansion is one aspect of the group's strategic growth plans and follows its move into North America, the Asia Pacific region and other key locations in central Asia.

Over the years, the company has improved its overall service capacities between Europe, America and China by collaborating with telecom operators, Internet content providers and other partners on the basis of mutual benefit.

The self-owned and managed telecommunications network connecting Europe to China will also enable China Telecom Europe to vigorously develop value-added Internet services and offer tailored ICT services for multinational corporations.

China Telecom Europe was committed to the construction of an 'Information Silk Road' that offered seamless information technology services between Europe, China, Asia, and America, said Leng.

As a result, the company now offers a one-stop shop for personalized, integrated communication solutions for European, American and Asian customers.

Two of the latest offerings by China Telecom Europe are the CTExcelink and CTExcelbiz, which provide secure, high speed and competitive packages for businesses, large and small.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2006)