[Chapter 555: The Competition for Mobile Licenses]
In less than ten minutes, William White was at Henry Fok. A quick glance revealed that quite a few important figures were present.
After a few rounds of tea, everyone began discussing pressing topics of concern.
"Mr. Henry Fok, I'm not really interested in real estate or energy, but when it comes to mobile communications, I don't want any surprises."
William White's opening line hit the nail on the head. After three cups of tea, he was already pushing the limits of his tolerance.
"Oh, the revenue from Hong Kong Electric is decent. Aren't you planning to take that on?"
"Honestly, I don't have anyone to manage it. Anyway, now that it's already '90, it's just about seven years, and once that time passes, your investments will obviously be fine; mine, however, might not."
William White's words were backed by reason. Industries related to people's livelihoods weren't something just anyone could invest in. Having control over half the power supply was one thing, but controlling communications was pushing it too far. There's a saying that too much of a good thing is not good, and it fit perfectly here.
"My view's a bit different. Their investments should still be supported. Isn't it said that the show must go on?"
William White forced a bitter smile.
"You locals don't care, but I'm from America, so I have to tread carefully. This part of the assets will need to be sold sooner or later."
Everyone present at the table was a bigshot from Hong Kong, and they certainly understood William White's point. He was effectively saying, don't fight me for the mobile communications license, and I won't compete with you for land resources.
"William, seriously, is there really that much appeal in the wireless phone business?"
"Haha, only you, Li Ka-shing, would ask that. If someone else did, I might not even bother to answer. You might not know, but I have Bell Labs on my side."
A group of tycoons nodded in acknowledgment, but internally they scoffed. Were they really that clueless? Even if they didn't know everything about his operations, they had a rough idea.
"You might not be aware, but many new technologies require extensive testing. Theoretically, everything could work perfectly in the lab, but in practical application, it might not be the same."
With this explanation, Li Ka-shing finally understood. No wonder William White came to Hong Kong; it was no small matter. It might be better not to mention his son's plans right now.
It wasn't wise to pit oneself against a world-renowned billionaire. Whether or not one felt fear was one thing; figuring out if it was necessary was far more important.
In Boss Ho's eyes, that foreigner was showing a lot of sincerity. He was willing to forgo some profits and made some promises. That attitude wasn't something those the British could compare to.
As for that ridiculous mobile communications venture, better to forget it. They had already learned that the main providers of such equipment were Motorola and a few European companies.
If they wanted to go crazy, that was their business; they shouldn't expect those companies to help them out. To put it bluntly, they were still uncertain whether their server rooms and signal towers could be set up.
Space was indeed precious in Hong Kong. William White owned many commercial properties here, while others didn't have that luxury. Without such conveniences, how could one hope to build those things?
Well, perhaps Li Ka-shing could do it. He had the strength and the funds. Watching the two guys chat animatedly, it seemed he hadn't planned on getting involved.
All the bigshots who showed up today were primarily real estate developers. If you wanted to do well in Hong Kong, it was either real estate or finance. Outside of that, very few had such capabilities.
Now they had a rough understanding: William White was using the Hong Kong communications situation primarily to test new equipment. If nothing unexpected occurred, Hong Kong would be among the first regions to implement digital mobile communications. This testing was critical and involved business worth hundreds of billions. For that kind of money, people wouldn't hesitate to orchestrate a little accident.
...
"Sir, are there any problems in Hong Kong?"
"Ha, what kind of problem can there be? If they plan to roll out the analog systems, I'll be more than happy to help them with the deal."
"The plan for digital mobile should be finalized within a month. If there are no issues here, we'll arrange for production."
"Yeah, no problem. Filson, just set it up. These clueless folks have already backed off."
"Okay, sir, when are you coming back?"
"I still need to visit China. If nothing goes wrong, I'll be back in five days at most."
Filson wanted to tell William White that even if the U.S. increased production, oil prices remained volatile. If it weren't for unfortunate accidents, the current oil supply wouldn't be sufficient.
The price of commodities is always determined by supply and demand. Real estate stocks were no different than oil or gold. If there were no paper gold now, the price of gold would surely exceed a thousand dollars an ounce.
Gold is manageable. The U.S. used paper gold to strip gold of some financial attributes. If everyone only bought physical gold, the U.S. would indeed have a headache.
Oil was a complication; every oil-exporting country loved rising oil prices. Even in the U.S., there were many who felt similarly.
Of course, Filson wanted to convey to William White that due to rising oil prices, several deals currently being discussed might not be possible to complete.
Naturally, the most important thing right now was mobile communications. The acquisition of an oil company was something the boss had instructed. If the price was too high, they wouldn't buy.
The wars occurring in desert regions were the main culprits behind rising oil prices. If these two companies reached a settlement in the short term, high oil prices wouldn't be sustainable.
Due to concerns over another oil crisis, major economies like the U.S. and Japan experienced varying degrees of downturn. With that foundation in place, how could oil prices possibly stay high?
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