Foxconn, Alibaba and Vianet Sign US$491.8 M. Deal to Build Cloud, Wi-Fi, Big Data, e-Com Network in Guizhou, China

Foxconn Group, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., 21 Vianet Group Inc. have signed an agreement to  jointly invest RMB3 billion (US$491.8 million) to build cloud computing, Wi-Fi, big data and e-commerce networks in the southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou.

The agreement has the three companies and the Guizhou provincial government in the capital Guiyang to collectively set up a Wi-Fi network to cover the whole capital city to provide free round-the-clock service, to be scheduled for completion in three years and the first-stage setup ready for service in June 2015.

Foxconn, 21 Vianet, Guiyang Municipal Government, and a provincial government-run telecasting and broadcasting company will jointly offer Internet access, data center, big data and cloud computing services.

Foxconn and the Guiyang city government will jointly invest in an e-commerce project similar to  Foxconn's e-commerce platform, on which the group will provide online merchandise trade service.

Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, whose group is Taiwan's No.1 manufacturing conglomerate by revenue, expressed confidence in  setting up all of the projects for  Guizhou as models for all of  China. (KL)