BREW is China Unicom's cup of tea

NEWS China Unicom and Qualcomm have confirmed their joint venture aimed at encouraging users to download ringtones, games and other applications via the US equipment company's BREW technology. BREW, which stands for Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, sits on top of a phone's OS and competes with platforms such as Sun's J2ME and Nokia's Series 60. The latest alliance, which cements Qualcomm's relationship with the world's fourth largest mobile operator, had been expected last month but needed a Chinese government rubber stamp. China Unicom has close to 60 million subscribers and is basing its future services on CDMA networks, which use equipment based on technology created by Qualcomm. The BREW system integration contracts for China Unicom's networks have gone to IBM, Motorola, Siemens and two domestic manufacturers, according to reports. The joint venture in particular aims to capture developers for BREW based in China.