Last March, China Unicom launched its "Palm Broadband" service, enabling laptop users to go online at any time with a card, but problems are now beginning to arise.

Recently more than 610,000 users from Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Anhui, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangdong have been prevented from using their cards, leading to a large number of complaints. China Unicom has tried to explain away its actions, saying that it is simply upgrading its network. However, the local media are quoting one China Unicom (Anhui) source as saying that these users' cards were stopped because the company had not received their personal data including ID card and internet access agreement.

Users are not content with the explanation, believing that China Unicom should notify them to request their personal data if this is indeed the case, rather than stopping their card unilaterally. Another inside source has said that the issue is closely related to the settlement of the roaming cost among China Unicom's many branches, each of which is anxious to increase its own achievements.

For the time being, it is not known when usage might be resumed.