15 get licenses for virtual telecom network services

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China's top industry regulator, granted licenses to 15 companies on Monday to run virtual telecom network services.

A virtual network operator is a provider of management services and a reseller of network services from other telecommunications suppliers, that does not own the telecommunication infrastructure.

The move signals that virtual telecom services are officially recognized after five years of pilot operation. Such initiatives allow companies to offer telecom services by piggybacking on the infrastructure of China's big three State-owned telecom carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.