Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 281 Time will tell

We talked for a long time about the trial operation of the TD network.

The three discussed the issues that required each other's cooperation and resolved their respective needs.

The Ministry of Information Industry naturally hopes to complete this matter as soon as possible, and achieving "TD commercialization" and "industrialization before the Olympics" would be the perfect answer in the eyes of the higher-ups.

Furthermore, Leader Zhang made an additional "request" to Chen Xuebing: before May 2008, Qidian should develop a better and more secure mobile terminal for use in the Olympics, not only to fulfill its "3G coverage commitment" to the international community, but also to ensure that foreign guests from all sides can use it well and effectively.

This phone should embody technological advancement, the image of a great nation, and inspire the spirit of the Chinese people.

This is actually one of the important reasons why Leader Zhang changed his mind and supported Chen Xuebing.

2008, all for the Olympics.

This was an honor, and Chen Xuebing naturally accepted.

They also suggested that a special Olympic co-branded product could be released.

Leader Zhang was very satisfied with the proposal.

Wang Jianzhou knew that the subsidies for TD network construction would not come in the short term, so he had many demands.

The first priority, of course, is to ensure TD's first-mover advantage over the other two licenses, at least to ensure that those two licenses cannot be officially issued and network construction permitted until after June 2008.

Wang Jianzhou's considerations were more practical than Chen Xuebing's. He did not require it to be after the Olympics, because by then the TD network would inevitably be fully commercially available. Guests from all countries would see that international standards were being built in China during the Olympics, which would better reflect China's inclusive and open image.

Second, there are subsidies.

The Ministry of Information Industry needs to approve asymmetric settlement between TD and other networks.

In China, the inter-network settlement model requires the calling operator to pay the called operator a fee of about 6 cents per minute. There is also a settlement fee for sending SMS messages. Wang Jianzhou requested policy regulation to halve the payment fee and implement phased continued reductions and exemptions.

In addition, number resources in the 188 segment should be allocated separately for high-end TD users.

Furthermore, the spectrum resources will be supplemented by extending the 2010-2025MHz and 2300-2400MHz bands as supplementary frequency bands, expanding the bandwidth by 115MHz.

They also want to be exempt from KPIs, and the trial operation period will not be included in the annual service quality assessment.

Most importantly, the Ministry of Finance must provide a special interest-subsidized loan for TD; otherwise, China Mobile will be unable to explain the increase in capital expenditure to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In short, if they don't give money, they'll give power, and they'll also give a huge loan.

Leader Zhang promised to go to the meeting as soon as he returned to Beijing to advocate for China Mobile.

After mentioning all this, Mr. Wang also set his sights on Chen Xuebing's secondary market, saying with a strange look in his eyes:
"Mr. Chen, regarding your Starlink system, we're actually also developing a communication software. Would it be okay to pre-install it on your system?"

Mr. Chen wanted to curse, but after thinking for a moment, he chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Let them pretend! But in my opinion, China Mobile has one absolute advantage! We can cooperate on all fronts!"

"what?"

"Online maps! The era of mobile apps has arrived! We can't let all these mobile base stations go to waste!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Chen Xuebing put forward his core demand.

These days, BeiDou is still in its infancy, and GPS is only just beginning to be used in civilian applications. It relies on base station positioning, with an accuracy of only a few hundred meters, resulting in a very poor navigation experience. Moreover, the openness of geographic data is very low, making it impossible to achieve nationwide coverage.

His software ecosystem relies heavily on this support; without resolving this issue, there's no point in talking about the mobile internet era.

Furthermore, one of the core services of Android's GMS is Google Maps, which allows developers to quickly integrate map services without having to build their own underlying technology.

He simply cannot solve this problem at present. He lacks the technical expertise and requires numerous qualifications. Even teams like Gaode and BJ Map Alliance face numerous difficulties when conducting surveying and mapping.

It would be perfect if it were done by a mobile company.

Not only does it have base station support, but it also has the status of a strategic state-owned enterprise, so it will hardly encounter any obstacles in surveying and modeling.

With its mobile scale, the basic map and POI (Point of Interest) distribution can be completed quickly.

This remark was a revelation to Wang Jianzhou.

Earlier this year, China Mobile launched its DreamNet Map client software in Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, and Hubei.

It supports real-time location (where am I), city search, driving navigation, and friend location sharing (where are you), and is a preliminary attempt by China Mobile to provide LBS (Location-Based Services) based on mobile terminals.

The market response has been quite good; the number of users exceeded 10,000 within half a month of the pilot program.

However, at the time, it was felt that there were still many shortcomings and that the project was not very practical, so the expansion was shelved.

Now that I think about it, if we had used Chen Xuebing's system software, the result would have been absolutely stunning.

"You mean to make paid software?" Wang Jianzhou's eyes lit up.

This market is huge.

Charging for online software is a big problem for other internet companies, but for China Mobile, it's so easy.

You subscribe with a single text message, and I'll deduct the cost directly from your phone bill—it's that convenient.

Chen Xuebing shook his head repeatedly. If he were to make navigation maps payable, he would be condemned by the Chinese people sooner or later.

"How can you promote basic service software if you charge users directly? You should charge the companies that need support! And car manufacturers too! When you sell maps, you can also sell connected car services together! Plus, there's software advertising revenue sharing!"

"This accumulated data will become data assets in the future, and it can also expand the field of mobile technology reserves, gain industry influence, and create independent and controllable digital service capabilities. Mr. Wang must be aware of how much these Internet concepts can increase the market value of a listed company, right?"

Wang Jianzhou frowned and said, "If this is how it's going to be operated, I'm afraid there's no need for us to cooperate, right?"

"Hmph." Chen Xuebing sneered and then spread his hands: "Fine, then let's each do our own thing in the internet sector, no need to talk about cooperation. As for what software China Mobile wants to pre-install, they can just buy a contract phone and install it themselves. We'll develop our own map software, and we can compete with each other."

Wang Jianzhou did a quick mental calculation and immediately chuckled.

"Mr. Chen, you're just kidding! Of course we'll work together and operate the business together!"

Chen Xuebing shook his head: "Let's not share the operation. Let's have Qidian establish a company to operate it, with China Mobile participating. All future projects that cooperate with China Mobile will be included in it, with each party contributing half the money. Qidian will operate it, accounting for 60%, and China Mobile will provide technical support, accounting for 40%."

"Huh?" Wang Jianzhou was dumbfounded.

Chen Xuebing held up three fingers: "For all cooperative projects, we guarantee an annual return of no less than 30% of the investment. In other words, China Mobile's investment will be able to recover at least 12% annually, with no upper limit. If we don't get that, Qidian will make up the difference. If the project cannot be subsidized, it will belong to you. That is to say, if Qidian is unwilling to subsidize a project one day, the ownership of that project will belong entirely to you."

Chen Xuebing had naturally done his research before making this request. Since its establishment, China Mobile's annual return on investment in communications has been at most 12%, and in some years it has been less than 6%.

When it comes to business, it all boils down to two words: making money.

Wang Jianzhou's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"really?"

Chen Xuebing chuckled and said, "The investment is only a few hundred million. To make a map, the initial investment is only a few hundred million. Even if the subsequent investment exceeds 20 billion, with a return of 12%, it will only be two or three hundred million a year."

What he wanted was the many conveniences that the mobile sign brought.

Manager Zhang asked curiously, "President Chen, with such a large business, how much funding do you have to support R&D?"

"Time will tell."

……

When Chen Xuebing came out of the International Conference Center, his phone had many missed calls and text messages from unknown numbers.

[Liu Yuzhang, Nanfeng Precision: Please keep this for future reference, Mr. Chen!]

[Mr. Chen, this is Xu Lihua from Bird. Mr. Rong from your company has reached a preliminary agreement with us, and we hope to cooperate sincerely in the future.]

[Hey bro, I called twice and you didn't answer. Are you free this afternoon? Let's meet up on the Bund. - Liu Chuan]

Chen Xuebing flipped to the end, but still didn't see the phone number that had given him a little hope.

He raised his eyebrows, slightly disappointed.

It seems that the favor I did by contacting MediaTek through Lin Huixiang today was not fulfilled.

He was thinking that someone might treat him to dinner today.

Whatever.

There are plenty of people who want to invite him to dinner.

It's almost time; we can start making arrangements for things in the US now.

Thinking about it, I called back.

"Hello, Mr. Liu."

At noon, Zhangjiang Science Park.

On the outside of the third floor of a square building, there is an advertisement for "Huawei Electronics".

The warm sunlight streamed through the window, gilding the graceful figure signing something in the office.

A strand of black hair slipped from her meticulously styled updo and fell to the side of her porcelain-white neck, like a stroke of ink accidentally splashed out in a traditional Chinese painting.

"Da da da."

The door suddenly opened, and Lin Huixiang barged in wearing Jimmy Choo high heels.

"Mengzhen, Chen Xuebing really gave you a lot of face this time!" Lin Huixiang threw her Hermes bag onto the sofa and sat down casually.

Xin Mengzhen was not affected by this and picked up the signed document again to look through it once more.

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Lin Huixiang couldn't help but chime in. "Hey, give me some face! Lu Shuai got promoted because of this, he's now the regional vice president of MediaTek, almost on par with his dad. He even booked a restaurant to come to Shanghai and treat me to dinner. If you don't say anything, I don't know whether I should accept this favor or not!"

Xin Mengzhen's lips curled slightly: "Go ahead and go, just don't let yourself be blinded. Lu Mingyu has always been lukewarm towards you, and the fact that he's coming to Shanghai now means that you're not as important as this business deal."

"That's going too far!" Lin Huixiang crossed one leg from under her skirt, sat sideways on the sofa, and said with a queen-like demeanor, "Hmph, I don't even like him that much! I just like his ambition. If he were the kind of playboy who only knows how to talk about love all day, I wouldn't even look at him!"

"Moreover."

Lin Huixiang's gaze swept over Xin Mengzhen's captivating profile, which seemed to possess a hint of unawareness—her jawline was like an angle sculpted by an ice scalpel, yet when she smiled, a barely perceptible dimple appeared on her cheek, transforming that sharpness into a vibrant and alluring charm.

"Isn't Chen Xuebing a career-oriented man? How many times has he come to see you?"

She thought to herself that Chen Xuebing was really good at holding back.

However, Mengzhen's vision also amazed her. After not seeing him for more than half a year, Chen Xuebing had become such a big figure.

Xin Mengzhen didn't speak, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead into her thin, translucent earlobe in the sunlight. Her smile slowly faded, and she quietly continued flipping through the documents.

Lin Huixiang was just testing the waters. Seeing Xin Mengzhen's reaction, she was certain that the two had broken up, so she immediately picked up her bag and got up.

"Alright then, I'll give him a call, and consider this something I owe him."

“No need.” Xin Mengzhen finally looked up, a faint smile returning to her face. “Don’t worry, he won’t make such a big concession for me. Since he agreed, it must be for his own good.”

"Really? Didn't he help your manager get together with that Chongqing Iron and Steel company for you?" Lin Huixiang approached, a look of doubt on her face.

"He poached that Manager Lu."

"What about the design blueprint for the learning machine he gave you?"

Xin Mengzhen pursed her lips.

That should be considered a beautiful memory.

"Hey, hey, big sister." Lin Huixiang observed her expression: "I specifically asked Lu Mingyu, he invested in Spreadtrum in May, and you came here in July, and even specifically chose this place that is two streets away from Spreadtrum. Don't tell me it wasn't for him?"

“My grandfather chose this place to facilitate communication with an American company in Zhangjiang,” Xin Mengzhen said calmly.

"Actually, he asked me if you had ever mentioned your relationship with him. He seems to care about you quite a bit," Lin Huixiang said tentatively, blinking.

Xin Mengzhen did not reply.

She turned to face the computer, opened a QQ Space webpage, hesitated for a moment while holding the mouse, and then gently clicked "Space Visitors".

I scrolled down for a long time but still couldn't see that name.

"Oh, I was wrong, I was wrong."

Lin Huixiang keenly noticed that Xin Mengzhen was in a bad mood, so she quickly came over and said, "I won't mention him anymore. I'll stay here with you at work. I'll treat you to a big meal later when you're done, okay?"

Xin Mengzhen quickly closed the webpage, concealing the emotions in her eyes.

"Hmph, I want to eat Wang Baohe."

A hundred meters away.

A small high-rise building with 12 floors.

A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a casual suit, carrying an ordinary briefcase, followed a group of engineers who had just finished lunch into the elevator.

I glanced at the floor plan—the 5th floor only had the word "ARM" on it, without even the company's full name.

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows.

This company, which just opened recently, is quite low-key.

However, companies like ARM don't survive by simply attracting business; those who come here have irreplaceable needs.

ARM only established an office in China this year.

It was after learning this news that he decided to invest.

However, he only just learned that ARM's headquarters are located in Zhangjiang, which is very close to Spreadtrum. He had an appointment that evening and couldn't leave for the time being, and he didn't have anything to do in the afternoon, so he came over to take a look.

Undercover investigation.

Someone pressed the elevator button for the fifth floor. He stood in a corner and waited for the elevator doors to open. Then, he naturally followed the two people out.

The two people in front turned into the corridor and went through a glass door marked with the word ARM.

The door was half open, and an A4 sheet of paper was pasted on it.

"Visitors, please register."

Below is a handwritten note: Clients looking for FAEs should go directly in!

Now Chen Xuebing knows what FAE is.

Field application engineer is a technical service position.

He thought of a reason he could give if anyone asked, and then walked straight in.

Inside is an open-plan office area, not large, with about 30 people and compact workstations.

Chen Xuebing's choice of black-rimmed glasses was excellent; he was clearly a fellow professional. As he walked in, no one asked him anything, and some even nodded politely to him.

On the left, several engineers are arguing around a development board, and the waveforms on the oscilloscope are jumping around erratically.

Engineer A looked annoyed: "The DDR timings on this crappy board are wrong again! The customer needs samples tomorrow!"

Engineer B sighed: "How about we lower the frequency and make do for now? They're just making an MP4 player anyway..."

The whiteboard next to it was covered with formulas for "AMBA bus" and "Cache optimization," and in the corner was a hastily drawn crying face with the words "The client has changed the requirements for the 8th time" written next to it.

The glass walls of the conference room weren't covered by blinds, and it looked like a project meeting was going on inside.

"Xiao Liang, I'm entrusting this ZTE order to you."

"Boss, ZTE's payment delays are too serious. I have to pay for my own business trips. Please spare me and let Henry handle it! They're more efficient at settling payments with foreigners!"

These words made Chen Xuebing laugh, and he really wanted to call Mr. Hou from ZTE to come and listen.

He looked around, then strolled over to the tea room and pretended to pour water.

The two people inside are complaining:
"The UK headquarters is pressing for the Q4 licensing fee again, but the Shenzhen client absolutely refuses to sign the contract, saying they want to try it out first before paying."

"Trial use? They just want to dig up our IP address and copy it!"

The two saw him, but didn't ask anything; they simply stopped talking.

Chen Xuebing poured himself a glass of water and, without any sense of boundaries, struck up a conversation: "You guys seem pretty busy here, with lots of clients?"

"You are."

"I'm here to see Engineer Zhang." Chen Xuebing figured there should be dozens of people at this headquarters, mostly Chinese, so he made up a common surname and said with interest, "I heard you're short of FAEs here? I used to work in Shenzhen."

The two men then guessed that he was there to apply for a job. One of them smiled mysteriously and said softly, "Heh, lots of clients? You'll see when you get here."

The other person also laughed, but didn't say anything.

Chen Xuebing came to inquire about the business situation so he could do a valuation.

After looking around, he had a better understanding of the situation.

Not wanting to wander around any longer, he took a glass of water and went outside. He saw a rather inconspicuous sofa in the corner of the open office area, so he sat down and slowly drank his water while listening to the employees chat.

When someone passed by and asked him, he would say he was waiting for Engineer Zhang, and no one suspected anything.

After listening for a while, I understood it pretty well.

Nowadays, ARM doesn't have much business. Most of the customers are MP3 and MP4 players, and the average order value is not high. Moreover, many customers want to get things for free, and some have closed down their factories and run away after owing money.

Life is tough.

Chen Xuebing was quite satisfied: If it's not going to be easy, then that's good.

However, it seems that they don't offer deep licensing services here; they mainly provide technical services. If you want to discuss cooperation in this area, you'll probably have to go to their UK headquarters.

Chen Xuebing came out of the building, called Zhanxun, and asked someone to come and pick him up. Seeing that there was no one on the street, he took out his Kirin phone from his pocket and casually swiped through a few photos he had just taken.

Da da da.

Hearing the sound of high heels approaching from behind, he put his phone away and glanced back.

Upon noticing that they were two attractive figures, he instinctively didn't look at them closely and turned around.

then.

He frowned.

He looked back again.

"Holy crap!" the other person exclaimed first, "Chen Xuebing???"

(End of this chapter)