Information Society Watch

2007, Irene Wu, Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press Journal

This paper reflects on whether innovations in communications technology can dilute the power of China’s authoritarian government. With the introduction of new services like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Little Smart (xiao lingtong) personal handyphone, the planned economy is breaking down and the government is constructing piecemeal the foundation for a rules-based economy. When these services first broke into China’s market, they were illegal, but consumers loved the services and demanded more. The benefits are evident since VoIP consumers can make cheap long distance calls, while Little Smart introduced an old technology to China that makes mobile phone services more affordable to the masses. Eventually, the Ministry of Information Industry (MII), which initially had banned both, was pressurised from the government and consumers into legalising the services (Adapted from author).

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