Aiming at more operating revenue from smartphone users, Chinese telecom operator China Mobile announced the launch of its mobile TV service named UTV in Hong Kong.

China Mobile said in a statement that the service is divided into the free-of-charge part and the paid part. The free-of-charge part includes user-created content and TVB news; while the paid part includes MNC international, MATV HD movie channel, STAR Chinese Channel, cartoon channel, and National Geographic Wild channel. Users can enjoy the service on their Android tablets and smartphones. In addition, by using a plug-in receiver, the service can support Apple's iPhone products.

China Mobile said that the newly launched mobile TV service is expected to increase its data traffic, making it another revenue source for the company.

Sean Lee, chief executive officer of China Mobile's Hong Kong branch, said that Hong Kong's environment is very special and many new services are tested there.

In April 2012, China Mobile launched 4G wireless services in Hong Kong. In October, the company said that it would expand the 4G testing into 13 cities during the second half of 2012. By the end of October, China Mobile boasted 703 million registered users on the mainland, including 79.3 million 3G users.