Via Stratfor (subscription required), an interesting look at the plans for Chinese telecommunications equipment company ZTE and Libya’s telecom regulator to build the first-ever WiMAX wireless commercial data network in Africa. While the project is intriguing in and of itself, of more note is the fact that this an early example of the coming wave of global Chinese service exports versus its traditional role as a goods/products exporter. Indeed, we believe more and more Chinese entities will emerge around the world as service operators (i.e. telcos, banks, professional services, etc.) in the months ahead. As the Stratfor analysis notes:

“…[ZTE’s] movements are worth keeping an eye on. ZTE is one of the telecommunications front-runners that Beijing is sponsoring in its bid to nurture internationally competitive Chinese telecom players. The company also is a good example of one of China’s non-energy firms that has successfully weathered political risk and turbulence abroad.

…ZTE is using developing markets such as Libya as testing grounds for its higher-technology wares while simultaneously beginning to test lower-technology products in developed markets. (The company also has said it plans to sell its handsets in the United States through MetroPCS.) If it continues to prove adept at dealing with uncertainty in markets such as Libya, ZTE could soon be leading Chinese telecoms’ push into Africa.”