China Telecom cuts roaming fee

China Telecom, the country's third-largest mobile phone operator, says it will cut its roaming fee in Taiwan and Macao by up to 83 percent from next month. The moves makes China Telecom the first operator to cut the per-minute rate to 1 yuan, or 15 US cents, or below.

China Telecom says its new roaming fee in the two regions will drop by an average of 65 percent. Each local call in Taiwan and Macao will cost 50 cents a minute and a call back to the Chinese mainland 1 yuan per minute.

The company says it is negotiating to cut its roaming fee in Hong Kong. China Telecom, the country's third largest fixed-line phone operator, obtained a mobile phone license last year.