Kongzhong Corporation (Kongzhong) is one of the leading providers of wireless value-added services in China. The company provides most of its services through 2.5G technology platforms, including wireless access protocol (WAP), multimedia messaging service (MMS), and Java, which offer higher quality graphics, richer content and interactivity compared to 2G wireless services. Kongzhong also offers a range of data and voice services through 2G technology platforms, including short messaging service (SMS), interactive voice response (IVR) and color ring back tone (CRBT). It delivers its services that users can access directly from their mobile phones, including by choosing an icon embedded in select models of handsets, or from a mobile operator's portal or web site. In 2006, revenue from 2.5G and 2G each accounted for 49% and 51% of the total revenue of the company. In 2006, its top three products, SMS, WAP, and MMS business each contributed 41%, 25%, and 22%, respectively, of the company's revenue.
Kongzhong's third quarter results were in line with market expectations. Revenue stopped declining sequentially for the first time in the past five quarters. The Chinese wireless value-added services market has seen increasingly intense competition, and the policy changes from Chinese telecom operators and regulation changes from Chinese government have great effect on Kongzhong's business. Although we are not optimistic about its prospects in the near term due to the tough WVAS operating environment, the company still has enough cash to look for another source of revenue growth in the future. The low P/B ratio of the stock can provide some support for its stock price. Therefore, we are maintaining our Hold recommendation for the stock.
[edit] References
Edit Metric
Edit
History
Bookmark
