The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 362 is very expensive

I don't know who was the first to buy a PHS phone, but the person who did would receive instructions from the postal staff at the counter, insert the phone card, turn it on, and learn the basic operations.

Most people, carrying empty bags, walked to the post office entrance, looked arrogantly at the crowd of onlookers, held up their mobile phones, and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, second brother? This is the third brother. I bought a mobile phone. Write down my number, *******. Call me here if you need anything."

"Hello, Mr. Yu? This is Lao Zhou. Let me give you my number. Call me if you need anything. Did you get a shipment today? Reserve a thousand pieces for me."

His arrogant demeanor made the onlookers extremely envious.

On that day, 120,000 PHS phones and more than 100,000 phone cards were sold in Beijing, with everyone choosing the 50-yuan package.

The postal service is very simple now. There's only one package. If you don't choose a package, you'll be charged the basic rate. Even a fool knows that using a package is much cheaper.

Of course, some people don't choose this option because they feel the package deals are still too expensive. They buy a PHS phone just to be envied by others, even though they only use it for a few minutes a month.

Why not just pay the basic fee? It's five yuan a month, plus a fee for every few minutes you make. For someone who's careful with money, that's a wise choice.

That evening, at the Beijing Hotel, Beijing Post Office, together with Tsinghua University and Factory 798, hosted a celebratory banquet.

We have to celebrate! 120,000 PHS phones were sold. Even if each phone was worth 2,000 yuan, that's over 200 million yuan in revenue.

The Beijing Post Office had never been so well-fed in a single day. Although the profits were to be split among the four branches, they were still completely stuffed.

The postal manager whispered to Liu Hua with delight, "Engineer Liu, you're the one."

He gave a thumbs up: "240 million in sales in a single day. Before you came today, I received a call from my supervisor asking me to report on the work tomorrow."

Liu Hua clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Congratulations! You're having a baby!"

"I can't say that yet, but I feel that the leader recognizes my work, and of course, this is inseparable from your support."

Liu Hua smiled and took a sip of wine: "You're too kind. I reckon that after you finish your work report tomorrow, your boss will approve it for nationwide promotion."

"It's pretty close. Do you know where I'm most satisfied with the location of the mobile phone?"

Liu Hua nodded: "It is most suitable for our current basic national conditions."

The postal leader smiled and said, "Great minds think alike."

"Although PHS is the most suitable technology for our country right now, I think we still need to take over GSM." Liu Hua said solemnly, "PHS is only a temporary measure. The future of mobile communication will still rely on digital communication technology, which is the mainstream. However, if we only focus on developing the PHS system, we will isolate ourselves from the world's mainstream market."

"Whether or not to introduce GSM is a very serious issue that requires a comprehensive evaluation." The postal leader said happily, "Today we're here to celebrate, so let's not talk about anything else."

Unfortunately, when men get together to drink, they can't really drink without talking about national affairs. This is what we call a snack or dish to accompany alcohol.

We were talking about today's events, but the conversation somehow drifted back to postal services.

Liu Hua thought it was good to give him a heads-up beforehand.

"Boss, don't be so happy. This matter is a double-edged sword; a blessing in disguise." "What do you mean?"

Liu Hua said thoughtfully, "Originally, the role of your post office was to deliver newspapers, receive and send letters, make remittances, and mail parcels."

"Yes."

"But haven't you noticed? With the rise of the telephone, especially the rise of mobile phones, the function of letters is becoming increasingly useless."

The leader nodded: "That's right. Originally, we exchanged letters to let each other know we were safe. When war raged for three months, a letter from home was worth a fortune. But now that we have telephones, the function of letters seems too outdated."

"Moreover, with the rapid development of telephone technology, there is an increasing need for specialization. I reckon that it will definitely be spun off into a dedicated organization to be responsible for telephone and mobile phone services, and even network services."

"What about the mail delivery function?"

"Let's integrate, let's set up a bank and a courier service." Liu Hua said with a smile, "You have unique advantages in this regard. You can reach all towns and villages across the country, which is something other private enterprises do not have. Moreover, you have the Postal Law, so you are the best choice for mailing official documents."

What does "express delivery" mean?

"Fast delivery: In the past, mail delivery took at least a week. Express delivery shortens this process, delivering packages to people's hands in two to three days, increasing timeliness."

The leader shook his head: "Impossible. You know our country is so big, how could we possibly deliver the goods to the users in just two or three days?"

"It is very likely that the country is increasing its investment in infrastructure construction, using trains and highways for short distances and airplanes for longer distances."

Liu Hua's words sounded like a fantasy, and the leaders didn't believe it at all. Transporting by plane would cost so much; it was something they wouldn't even dare to imagine.

People today can't even imagine that decades from now, postal and express delivery companies will have forty or fifty planes, and a private express delivery company will have a fleet of nearly a hundred planes.

"Anyway, you should prepare early. If you can do your work ahead of time, that would be a great achievement."

The leader took this to heart. Although he no longer agreed with the express delivery business, he still believed Liu Hua's suggestion that the telephone business would be separated.

The next day, the media again wrote extensively about the booming popularity of Xiaolingtong (a type of mobile phone), and now the whole country saw it.

The Little Smart phone suddenly caught the attention of many local post offices, but because the current atmosphere was still relatively conservative, everyone decided to wait and see before introducing it.

To the surprise of Liu Hua, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Post, Hong Kong was the first to propose introducing PHS (Personal Handyphone System).

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Hong Kong is a small place, and a single mobile phone is enough to support the daily communication needs of ordinary people.

It was the Li Ka-shing family that proposed introducing the PHS phone. It has to be said that while this guy's character is unpredictable, his business acumen is truly top-notch.

There was no need to consult Liu Hua about this matter, but the day after receiving the notification, the leader had dinner with Liu Hua and casually mentioned it.

"I don't know who should handle the business in Hong Kong, but I'm sure that if it's handed over to the Li family, the cost will be extremely high."

(End of this chapter)