AsiaInfo (ASIA) has signed a contract with China Mobile (CHL) to upgrade its WLAN authentication and billing system to satisfy demand expected during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"The Olympic Games provide an ideal platform for the telecommunications industry to showcase new and innovative services," said Steve Zhang, AsiaInfo's president and CEO in a press statement. "Our leading market position and longstanding relationship with China Mobile allows us to leverage our world class telecom software solutions to support their WLAN coverage of Olympic venues, which will be the first network of its kind in Olympic history."

As partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, China Mobile will provide a communications network and related services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Journalists, athletes and tourists are expected to be the primary users of the service during the Olympic Games. The upgraded system will have the capacity to support 5 million users and can support both static and dynamic password authentication technology.

The Olympic WLAN network is a high speed wireless data transmission network constructed by China Mobile for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The network will provide high-speed wireless Internet access for end users in Olympic gymnasiums, stadiums and surrounding areas in Olympic cities including Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.