Careers at AsiaInfo

Mission

AsiaInfo’s mission is to become the leading China-based technology company, providing total Internet/Intranet network solutions, including system design and buildout, training, and customized software.

Founding story

Edward Tian and James Ding were Chinese-born academics who had completed their studies  in the United States. In 1993 Tian heard Vice President Al Gore deliver a speech about the information superhighway, and decided he wanted to start a business. He specifically wanted to launch a venture bringing Internet connectivity to China, so that all people there could have access to information.

Later that year he met up with his old acquaintance Ding, who also had an interest in bringing the Web to China. They wanted to prove that they could run a successful business in the U.S. first. So they obtained $50,000 from Louis Lau, Tian’s business mentor, enabling them to launch AsiaInfo – a service that provided research on Chinese markets to American firms.

As part of the service the team launched AsiaInfo Daily News, a service that translated Chinese news into English for U.S. readers. During this time they made a number of trips to their homeland to promote the Internet in political and academic settings. In 1995 they moved to Beijing to officially set up operations. They gained valuable insight on the market initially by consulting  for other firms.

They were soon hired by Sprint, which had been commissioned by the Chinese government to build a prototype commercial Internet network. When the government asked for bids on a contract to build the first national Internet backbone, called ChinaNet, they dissolved their relationship with Sprint and competed for it. Thanks to Tian’s connections, they secured the $8 million contract.

Over the next several years, AsiaInfo played a major role in the contruction of national and provincial networks for China’s major telecommunications carriers, including China Mobile, China Telecom, China Netcom, and China Unicom. In 2010 it merged with Linkage Technologies International, a provider of IT services and software solutions for the telecommunications sector in China.

The new company was called AsiaInfo-Linkage. Over the next few years it expanded to Southeast Asia and Europe. In January 2014 it delisted from NASDAQ, going private to increase its long-term innovation investment opportunities. In July 2014 it changed its name to AsiaInfo. It now provides a wide variety of telecom software solutions and IT security products and services.

Business model of AsiaInfo

Customer Segments

AsiaInfo has a niche market business model, with a specialized customer segment. The company targets its offerings at telecommunications service providers in China.

Value Proposition

AsiaInfo offers two primary value propositions: risk reduction and brand/status.

The company reduces risk by maintaining high quality standards. It has received several certifications, including CMMI Level 5, ISO27001, and ISO9001.

The company has established a strong brand due to its success. It has more than 15,000 employees worldwide. Its clients include China Mobile, AIS, China Telecom, Nepal Telecom, China Unicom, U Mobile, Zong, and Hello Nepal. Through these customers, it serves over one billion end-users/subscribers. It processes six billion CDRs and analyzes seven petrabytes of data on a daily basis.

It claims a more than 50% share of the Chinese market in Billing, CRM, and Business Intelligence sectors, and its Veris product suite is the top telecommunications BSS solution in Asia. Lastly, it has won many honors, including the following:

  • Ranking on the The Global Outsourcing 100 by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP)
  • Recognition as one of the Top 20 Chinese Software Innovation Companies by the Copyright Protection Center of China
  • Glotel's BSS Transformation Excellence Award
  • The Business Service Innovation Award at the Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards
  • Winner of the OTT Service Launch category of the Telecoms.com Awards

Channels

AsiaInfo’s main channel is its direct sales team. The company promotes its offerings through its website, social media pages, and participation in summits, forums, and conferences.

Customer Relationships

AsiaInfo’s customer relationship is primarily of a personal assistance nature. The company assists customers in the following ways:

Support Services – The company provides general phone and e-mail support.

Training Services – The company offers in-depth training on its products and services to clients through high-level courses. Classes are customized to suit the level of knowledge needed, and are available on an onsite or remote basis.

Professional Services – The company provides the following services:

  • Strategic and Informational Consulting – Includes product rationalization, business strategy, and business process optimization
  • Managed Services – Includes system implementation/operation and ongoing support for ops enhancement
  • Network Management – Includes OSS support, network quality monitoring, and root cause analysis
  • System Integration – Includes business requirements analysis, technical integration, data migration, and operational readiness testing

Despite this orientation, there is a self-service component. The company’s website features a “Resources“ section that includes useful tools such as white papers, data sheets, infographics, webinars, and videos.

Key Activities

AsiaInfo’s business model entails designing, developing, and delivering its products and services to customers.

Key Partners

AsiaInfo is a member of various associations in the telecommunications sector. It partners with other association members to promote the interests of the industry. Specific associations include TM Forum and the NGMN Alliance.

Key Resources

AsiaInfo’s main resources are its human resources, who include the engineers that design, develop, and deliver its products and services, the sales employees that promote them, the training/consulting employees that provide instruction/advisory services, and the customer service personnel that provide support.

Cost Structure

AsiaInfo has a value-driven cost structure, aiming to provide a premium proposition through significant personal service and frequent service enhancements. Its biggest cost driver is likely cost of services, a variable expense. Other major drivers are in the areas of sales/marketing and customer support/operations, both fixed costs.

Revenue Streams

AsiaInfo has one revenue stream: revenues it generates from fees charged to customers for the sale of its services.

Our team

Edward Tian,
Founder and Executive Chairman

info: Edward earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management at Texas Tech University. He previously served as Chief Exeuctive Officer of AsiaInfo, as CEO of China Netcom Company, and as Vice Chairman of China Netcom Group.

Michael Wu,
CEO

info: Michael earned a Master's degree in Business Administration at the City University of Seattle. He previously held various roles at AsiaInfo, including General Manager of the Asia-Pacific Region, President of AsiaInfo International, and Chairman of AsiaInfo Software.

Yadong Jin,
Chief Technology Officer

info: Yadong earned a Master's degree in Computer Science at Nanjing University. He previously served as Director of the Consulting & Integration division at Hewlett-Packard China and as Director of Business Consulting Services at IBM, China.

Anthony Pang,
Chief Operating Officer and President, APAC

info: Anthony earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at Nanyang Technological University. He previously held senior roles in business operations and consulting services at firms such as Accenture, IBM, and British Telecom.