BIZCHINA / Zhang Chaoyang
Sohu to resume messaging services
(Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2005-08-01 14:41
Chinese Internet portal Sohu.com Inc will resume delivering multimedia
messaging services (MMS) Monday, a month before a one-year suspension was
scheduled to be lifted.
Sohu doesn't expect the move to affect its third-quarter earnings
guidance, which was issued Wednesday.
In a press release Friday, Sohu said China Mobile Communication Corp, the
country's largest mobile carrier, informed the company it decided to
resume multimedia messaging cooperation on its nationwide network Monday.
China Mobile had suspended the services for a year because of unsolicited
marketing by Sohu to some customers.
Sohu said it transferred its multimedia messaging services business onto
China Mobile's mobile information service center platform in June, so it
is "technically ready" to resume the MMS business.
Because it will need to rebuild the business after 11 months of
suspension, Sohu doesn't expect the service resumption to materially
affect its third-quarter outlook.
Earlier last week, Sohu reported its second-quarter profit fell 28
percent, to US$7.1 million, or 18 US cents a share, and said
third-quarter results would be weaker than expected, largely because of
disappointing advertising revenue growth.
The company projects third-quarter earnings of 18 US cents to 22 US cents
a share, on revenue of US$26.5 million to US$28.5 million. Analysts
surveyed by Thomson First Call, on average, estimate earnings of 22 cents
a share, on revenue of US$28.75 million.
Sohu said Friday it would leverage its resources to rebuild the
multimedia messaging services business and would cooperate with online
and wireless partner Walt Disney Co.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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