Reborn in the red age

Since Fang Mingzhe said he would follow his orders, Li Qingfeng did not hesitate to take over the command of the launch and operation of the first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone.

The first thing to be arranged was to lend Huaxin's press conference hall to Jiyang Intelligent Communications so that they could hold a press conference first.

On the day of the press conference, Fang Mingzhe invited reporters from home and abroad, regardless of whether they came or not. He sent invitations to all newspapers that were named.

Since Jiyang Intelligent Communication has the background of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and Jiyang Municipal Economic Commission, in addition to reporters, Fang Mingzhe also mobilized leaders to come and support the event.

At this time, the superiors still attached great importance to the domestic scientific and technological research and development achievements. When the leaders of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications received the news from Fang Mingzhe, they agreed without saying a word to personally go to the scene to cheer.

After all, this is the launch of the first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone, which is of extraordinary significance. It is a major breakthrough in domestic scientific and technological research and development in the field of communications. It is also a brilliant achievement under the command of the leadership, so we must fully support it.

Not only did the leader express his intention to be present on stage to speak, he also specifically instructed his subordinates to fully cooperate with the relevant preparatory work to ensure that the press conference could be held smoothly and excitingly.

With the full support of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the preparations for this press conference went smoothly.

On the day of the press conference, not only did CCTV reporters come with cameras, but even foreign media that had previously ignored Jiyang Intelligent Communications sent reporters to show their support.

"Teacher Li, many TV media are here today, even CCTV reporters and foreign reporters are here, and they will be on the evening news today. Do you want to go up and say a few words?"

Listening to the leader's passionate speech in the backstage, Fang Mingzhe, who was dressed in a suit and looked very respectable, invited Li Qingfeng to come on stage and speak with a smile on his face.

Li Qingfeng waved his hand and refused, "I won't go. Today is your company's stage. How can an outsider like me go up there to perform?"

"Oh, that's wrong. What is the core of a mobile phone? It's the communication chip. Without your guidance and help, how could we have developed the first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone? Your contribution to national science and technology is unquestionable. Not to mention other industries, you deserve the title of the father of mobile phones." Fang Mingzhe's words were so sincere and his eyes were full of respect for Li Qingfeng.

This guy is really good at talking. Li Qingfeng touched his nose subconsciously. After hearing what Fang Mingzhe said, Li Qingfeng felt that it seemed to be true.
He glanced at Fang Mingzhe with admiration. If this guy didn't hold a high position in the state-owned enterprise and was not so focused on his career, Li Qingfeng would have poached him, fired He Guangqin, and let him take over his secretary position.

Those who work in the system are all first-rate at observing people’s words and expressions.

Seeing Li Qingfeng's expression, Fang Mingzhe knew what was going on, and hurriedly persuaded him further: "Teacher Li, please don't refuse. Today is the launch of the first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone. It is a big day for our domestic communications industry. If you, the father of mobile phones, don't come on stage, what will happen?"

Li Qingfeng, who hadn't been on stage to brag for a long time, was already tempted, but after being persuaded by Fang Mingzhe, the hesitation in his heart immediately disappeared.

He raised his hand to straighten his collar and said with a smile: "Now that you've said so much, should I go up and talk?"

Fang Mingzhe immediately smiled and said hurriedly, "Hey, Teacher Li, what are you talking about? You are giving us a huge honor by coming on stage. I will go and tell the host and ask them to prepare."

Having said that, he happily walked out of the backstage to arrange for Li Qingfeng's speech.

Fang Mingzhe had his own little thoughts on why he tried so hard to invite Li Qingfeng to the stage.

Currently, the only region in China that supports GSM mobile phones is the Special Administrative Region. Although it is the most developed region in the country, there are still too few people there.

If we only rely on that, we won’t be able to sell many machines a year. If we want to ship in large quantities, we still have to go overseas and sell them to foreigners.

Li Qingfeng has a great reputation overseas and has considerable influence all over the world, especially among the technological elites in Internet high-tech companies. Who has not heard of Li Qingfeng's name?

There were still too few foreign media at the scene. Fang Mingzhe thought that if he could get Li Qingfeng to speak on stage, with Li Qingfeng's influence overseas, it would surely attract more attention from foreign media, and thus make this first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone a hit internationally.

By then, maybe those overseas dealers and operators will take the initiative to come to discuss cooperation, which is much more effective than sending people from the company to promote overseas. Therefore, Fang Mingzhe spared no effort to persuade Li Qingfeng to take the stage.

Li Qingfeng looked at Fang Mingzhe's departing back and secretly sighed in his heart, this guy is really a smart guy, how could Li Qingfeng not notice his little tricks.

But I didn't care and cooperated with the subsequent arrangements.

After all, the launch of the first domestically produced GSM digital mobile phone shows that the overseas expansion capabilities of domestic high-tech companies are too poor. As a leader behind the scenes, I will help as much as I can.

It can't be that China's exports, apart from electronic components, are all primary industrial products such as clothes and shoes, right?
After the performance at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the reporters below heard that Li Qingfeng was coming on stage. They all became excited, adjusted the angle of the camera, picked up the pens in their hands, and prepared to record every word of this legendary figure.

Li Qingfeng, who had been on the podium for several years, was not at all nervous about this kind of public speech. After he came on stage, he nodded to the reporters in the audience, and after a brief question, he began to talk eloquently.

"As everyone knows, we have been striving to keep up with the pace of the world in the development of the communications field. From the domestically produced mobile phones in the 90s to the current GSM digital mobile phone YT00, we have faced many technical bottlenecks and encountered countless doubts, but we have never given up.

"The birth of this digital mobile phone is the result of the hard work of countless scientific researchers and the result of their hard work day and night and their efforts to overcome difficulties."

"Communication is not just about transmitting information, it is also a bridge that connects people and the world. We developed this phone in the hope that Chinese people can use our own high-quality communication equipment, and at the same time, we can also show our country's technological strength on the international stage."

"Now, although we have taken this crucial step, there is still a long way to go. We must take this opportunity to promote the development of the domestic communications industry and cultivate more outstanding scientific and technological talents."

Li Qingfeng was speaking at the stage to get people excited, and the flashes of the cameras in the hands of the reporters below never stopped.

Stepping onto the international stage and promoting industry development, this set of rhetoric has been talked about too much in later generations, but it is still very useful today. Journalists and ordinary people love to hear it.

Many people at the scene were so excited by what Li Qingfeng said that tomorrow's newspapers will definitely be filled with praise.

When Li Qingfeng stepped down from the stage, thunderous applause broke out. If it weren't for the press conference regulations, there might have been reporters on stage to interview him. Fang Mingzhe, as the general manager, was going to go on stage to introduce the product, and he had been waiting downstairs for a long time.

Seeing Li Qingfeng coming down, he hurried forward and complimented him, "Teacher Li, your speaking skills are so high. If I hadn't known about it in advance, I would have thought you had prepared a script in advance."

"Haha, speaking without a script is a basic skill. Commercial companies are different from the institutional system. If you read the script verbatim at a press conference, you will be laughed at."

"No way? Aren't we all reading from a script now? How could anyone laugh at us?"

"The information is not spreading fast enough," Qingfeng Li shrugged and said casually.

No one is complaining because the main way to spread news these days is through print media, which is all text. There is no live video, so ordinary people can't see it.

Let’s try it in this era of fast-paced short videos. Who would dare to read from a script at a press conference?
"Not spreading fast enough?"

Li Qingfeng did not explain. He smiled and gently patted Fang Mingzhe's shoulder to encourage him, "It's your turn to go on stage. When you go on stage, introduce the functions of YT00. Foreign reporters have brought cameras to record the scene. Try to get noticed by the foreigners then."

"Don't worry, I will try my best to show all the advantages of YT00," Fang Mingzhe said confidently.

Since Lemon Company just cooperated with Nokia to develop a mobile phone system last year, in order to avoid suspicion, it did not participate in the development of the operating system for the YT00 mobile phone this time.

Although the system was not developed by Lemon, YT00's system is still very powerful and has very powerful functions at this time.

For example, it has the same functions as Nokia, such as being able to send and receive text messages, record ten call logs and store ten phone numbers.

It also comes pre-installed with functions such as an alarm clock, calendar, calculator and Snake game.

The most important function is playing games. In this era, playing games on mobile phones is a very cool thing from a global perspective.

Unfortunately, YT00 did not get the title of the world's first gaming phone.

As early as last year, a Danish manufacturer purchased the license for "Block Cube" from Lemon Company and installed the game on its own developed mobile phone.

In addition, IBM also released the world's first keyboard-less touch-screen phone, IBM Simon, last year. This phone has a 4.5 by 1.4-inch, 160 by 293-pixel LCD screen. This phone can send and receive faxes and emails, and has handwriting input function. It also comes pre-installed with pixel games developed by IBM itself.

Fang Mingzhe straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and strode towards the stage with full confidence. The spotlight shone on him, and the eyes of the audience were also focused on him.

He picked up the microphone, with a proud smile on his face, and began to introduce YT00, a GSM digital mobile phone that is the result of the hard work of many people.

While Fang Mingzhe was explaining the functions of the mobile phone on the stage, Li Qingfeng quietly left the venue and took the elevator upstairs to his office.

In the corridor, Li Qingfeng, who had just stepped out of the elevator, ran into Xu Yuanming.

Seeing Li Qingfeng coming up, Xu Yuanming was stunned at first, and asked in confusion: "Teacher Li, the meeting hasn't ended yet, why are you back so soon?"

"The result is already determined. There's nothing to see there. Why not come back?" Li Qingfeng shrugged and said with a smile.

"Destined? What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what it says. There's no problem in China. The cost is 9,000 and the selling price is 12,000. It can undercut Ericsson's price. The chance of going abroad is not great. Even if it can go abroad, it won't be able to open up the market. In the early stage, it's okay while foreign companies haven't reacted yet. We should be able to sell a lot. But after they react, it won't be able to sell abroad."

"How did you say this?"

"The manufacturing market abroad is much more developed than that in China. The established mobile phone manufacturers have already occupied the vast majority of the market share. Brands like Nokia and Motorola have long been popular in the world and are highly recognized by consumers."

Li Qingfeng spread his hands and continued, "In addition, we can't compete with them in terms of price. It is said that our country has abundant cheap labor, but this does not mean that we can unlimitedly lower production costs and offer extremely competitive prices. Cheap labor is useful for low-end products such as primary industrial products, but it is not effective for high-end products without mastering technology."

"They own the entire industry chain and hold technological hegemony. They can produce most of the main components themselves. Even if they need to purchase, their purchase prices are cheap all over the world. In order to obtain their supply rights, purchasing manufacturers will reduce their own profits as much as possible. It is possible that the products they purchase are cheaper than those they produce themselves."

"It's the opposite here. Foreign manufacturers are eager to sell us steel that we can't produce. Jiyang Intelligent Communication is just an assembly plant. The domestic production rate is only 50%. The imported parts we purchase are twice as expensive as those of Nokia and Ericsson. Do you think we can afford a price war?"

Xu Yuanming frowned and asked, "More than ten years ago, when our company was developing PCs, didn't we defeat IBM with cheap labor? Don't we have a chance this time?"

"This is a different time, it's not that there is no chance. Let's wait, maybe two or three years later." Li Qingfeng shook his head, looking a little helpless.

Since the complete opening up and the improvement of the domestic economy, the country has become a huge piece of fat meat in the eyes of Westerners. Which international company would not want to take a bite?
The blockade of the country by Western countries was not requested by the United States, but was due to the common interests of the West.

They formed an offensive and defensive alliance and imposed strict blockades and restrictions on the country in the field of advanced technology because they were afraid that the country would rise rapidly with its huge market and abundant labor resources, thereby threatening their dominant position in the global economic landscape.

Just like the launch of YT00 this time, although the product was produced, it was inherently at a disadvantage in terms of cost. Too many parts were imported, and the cost of purchasing imported parts alone was severely cut. Without a technological breakthrough, how could the cost be reduced?

The abundance of cheap labor cannot make up for the cost gap in other aspects in the production of such high-tech products. (End of this chapter)