Dive Brief:
- Microsoft unveiled details of a plan to work with China Electronics Technology Group Corp. to accelerate adoption of the Windows 10 operating system in China, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- Microsoft will set up a jointly owned entity with the state-owned Chinese company, which provides technology for Chinese military and civilian use.
- Microsoft announced a previous joint venture with CETC in September.
Dive Insight:
Yusuf Mehdi, a corporate vice president in Microsoft’s Windows and devices group, said the venture will be based in Beijing and will license, deploy, manage and provide technical support for Windows 10 for government agencies and government-owned institutions.
Microsoft has been working with a range of partners in China in an effort to build better relations there.
The initial relationship with CETC was termed as an effort to maintain a “localized” version of Windows 10 for clients in Chinese government and state-owned enterprises. Microsoft’s software is used widely in China, but it’s often pirated, so Microsoft receives no revenue.
Mehdi said the new venture will have exclusive rights to license a specific configuration of Windows 10 developed for Chinese customers.
