Chapter 446 Mobile Phone System
On Monday, December 10, after the inspection, the Tengda Technology Building reopened to the public.
In the lobby on the first floor, there is a constant stream of people coming and going, including employees from branches going to the headquarters for work and partners coming to Tengda to discuss business.
"Good morning, Chairman." "Mr. Song, good morning!" "Mr. Song, you looked really energetic on camera yesterday."
All the Tengda employees couldn't help whispering to each other while greeting the big boss.
"Did you watch the news last night?"
"I didn't get to see it, but there's a clip trending on Weibo! There's actually a 6-second close-up of Director Song!"
"So it was because of the leadership's inspection. No wonder the building was sealed off for so many days."
"The group is really getting some publicity this time. Getting official recognition is really a relief!"
In front of the elevator, Song Ci was wearing a neat suit, looking energetic, with a slight smile on his lips, nodding to the employees frequently.
"Ask Wu Yi to come to my office."
Secretary Jian Ning immediately agreed: "Okay, Mr. Song."
The alloy door slowly slid open, and Song Ci stepped into the elevator alone, already accustomed to this kind of unaccompanied scene. The elevator door quietly closed, carrying him steadily upward.
In the office, WeChat President Wu Yi hurried over after receiving the notice.
As soon as I sat down, I heard the chairman speak directly: "The time is ripe! Strike while the iron is hot and launch the WeChat Smart City Service Plan.
Wu Yi suddenly understood. Tengda Group had been in communication with relevant departments in Beijing, hoping to open a WeChat "City Services" portal in the capital.
The portal integrates 14 public services such as transportation, medical care, and social security, and users can access them with one click through WeChat Wallet.
But the other party remained hesitant and never made a clear statement.
Now that the inspection has just ended and Tengda Group is gaining popularity, it is a good opportunity to build on the momentum and continue to negotiate with the Beiping government to launch WeChat city services.
Once the WeChat smart city is successfully implemented in the capital region, the promotion of WeChat smart city in other parts of the country will surely be more effective.
"I will immediately start liaising with the Beiping government to promote the 'city service' project."
Song Ci pondered for a moment and then advised, "A key point in the negotiation is to make the government see that the launch of WeChat Smart City can significantly improve the efficiency of government services and meet the people's growing demand for livelihood services.
"Understood." Wu Yi agreed immediately. "If the cooperation intention is successfully reached, we may need your presence when signing the strategic cooperation agreement with the Beiping government."
"Don't worry about that. I'll naturally handle the things that need my involvement." Song Ci nodded slightly and changed the subject, "Have you arranged everything regarding the Spring Festival Gala red envelopes?"
"Don't worry! The R&D team has completed a billion-scale concurrent test using supercomputing. Furthermore, considering the large audience for the Spring Festival Gala in northern China, they have added servers to the Beijing Data Service Center to ensure foolproof operation."
"Very good." Song Ci felt relieved by Wu Yi's thoroughness. Now everything was ready, and they were just waiting for a stunning debut on New Year's Eve.
At this point, Wu Yi asked, "Mr. Song, when will the WeChat red envelope feature officially launch? Or will it be on Christmas Day, as in previous years?"
Song Ci shook his head: "In the past, major version updates were carried out simultaneously around the world. Considering WeChat's Western users, we chose to do it on Christmas Day.
WeChat red envelopes are currently only available to domestic users, so there's no need to worry about WeChat for now. A few days in advance is fine. If the technical team determines no further optimization is needed, we can launch WeChat red envelopes on the Winter Solstice.
After finishing the discussion, Song Ci raised his hand to signal Wu Yi that he could leave, and he began to prepare materials for the afternoon meeting.
In the afternoon, the core senior executives of Tengda Group gathered together.
In the conference room, as the participants gradually arrived, Zhang Yong gently called out to Song Ci, who was resting with his eyes closed: "Mr. Song, everyone is here."
Song Ci slowly opened his eyes, scanned the entire room with an oppressive gaze, and announced loudly: "The meeting will begin now.
I've gathered everyone here today to announce a decision—starting today, Tenda Technology Group will officially enter the mobile operating system field."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a commotion in the conference room, and many people felt that the chairman's decision was too radical.
An executive cautiously said, "Mr. Song, the mobile operating system market is now split between Apple and Android.
If we rush in now, our strategic cooperation with Google will be wasted. Would you please reconsider this?"
Another executive immediately echoed, "Mr. Song, mobile operating systems are a completely unfamiliar new field for the group.
The group has neither accumulated technology nor a reserve of professional talent in this area, so please reconsider your decision."
"Yes, Chairman, please think twice."
"The group's territory is already large enough, there is really no need to get involved in this business."
. . .
In the meeting room, most executives believed that there was no need for Tenda to touch the mobile phone operating system, and they tried their best to persuade Song Ci to change his mind.
Song Ci pretended not to hear him and turned to look at Zhang Yong: "Mr. Zhang, you are the CEO of the group. Do you think the company should develop a mobile operating system?"
Zhang Yong took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "Developing a purely domestic mobile phone operating system has a systematic and structural reshaping significance for information security strategy.
Its influence goes far beyond technological substitution itself, but involves all-round changes in underlying security, industrial ecology, data ownership and even international game levels.
I think it is necessary for the group to develop a mobile phone operating system.”
He knew very well that the 12-second footage of the chairman in the news last night was actually a "national certification ceremony."
Tengda Group has been upgraded from a market economy participant to an "executor of national scientific and technological will." However, if you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight.
The leadership’s instructions yesterday are still fresh in our minds. The chairman has no choice, and Tengda Group has no way out. They can only face the challenge head-on and fight their way out.
"Mr. Wang, you're the group's COO. What do you think about this?"
Wang Jing also accompanied the inspection yesterday. Naturally, she understood that there was no room for maneuver and spoke in a similarly firm tone:
"Mr. Zhang has clearly explained the importance of developing a domestic mobile phone operating system. Tenda Group has an unshirkable responsibility in this matter."
As Song Ci named names one by one, the core senior management of the group expressed their firm support for the decision to develop a mobile phone operating system.
Song Ci nodded, his tone serious: "Since everyone has no objection, this matter is settled. I hope everyone will work together to make this happen.
But you can't just act recklessly. Mr. Liu, you are a top operating system kernel development engineer. What should you do if you want to develop a mobile operating system (OS) for ordinary users?
All the group executives are here today. If you need any resources or support, just let me know and I'll handle it on the spot!"
Engineer Liu, who was named by Song Ci, looked stern. He felt the eyes of the group's executives all on him, and the pressure on his shoulders suddenly increased.
"Mr. Song, although Android is based on the Linux kernel and is an open source system, Google controls key services; Apple's iOS is a closed ecosystem with extremely high compatibility barriers.
If we were to develop an operating system from scratch, not only would it require a huge investment in R&D, but it would also take a long time, conservatively estimated to take three to five years, and there would be no chance of success in the short term."
Song Ci spoke calmly, reassuringly, "Don't worry, Engineer Liu. I'm not short-sighted and eager for quick success. This project will be considered a long-term strategy for the group and will be implemented unwaveringly."
Mr. Liu felt a little relieved. He was most worried that the development of the OS was just a whim of the chairman and would be abandoned if there was no economic benefit.
"Mr. Song, the current smartphone market has formed a duopoly of Android and iOS: the former holds a 70% market share, while the latter holds 20%, collectively dominating the nine-tier market.
What’s even more problematic is that Android and iOS already have millions of apps, and user habits are solidified.”
Song Ci nodded slightly and sighed: "Without users, we can't attract developers, and without applications, we can't retain users.
The success or failure of the new system ultimately depends on its ecosystem. Mr. Liu, please first share your overall vision."
"Tenda should avoid the dead end of building from scratch and instead quickly create a lightweight customized system based on open source Android, gradually de-Google it and achieve Apple compatibility, while dedicating all resources to building an ecosystem."
Mr. Liu was clearly well prepared. He flipped open the plan on the table and began to talk: "Although our company has no experience in operating system development, we have extensive experience in software and Internet services.
The technical route should be centered around "rapid iteration and compatibility first." My short-term goal is to develop Tenda OS, tentatively named TenOS, based on Android open source code.
An executive interjected, questioning: "Will there be legal risks if the underlying architecture continues to use Android?"
"The latest version of open-source Android is Android 4.1. Its code is completely open-source and commercially free, with no legal risks."
Another executive pressed the issue: "Is choosing open-source Android the optimal solution?"
"Android provides a mature kernel and driver framework, which allows us to quickly complete customized modifications, significantly saving time and costs."
Song Ci pondered: "Similar to Xiaomi's MIUI?"
Engineer Liu nodded in response, "Exactly. Leveraging open source Android, TenOS is naturally compatible with the Android app ecosystem, effectively addressing the initial app shortage."
We only need to strip out Google services, integrate Tenda's own services, and then reduce memory and CPU usage by streamlining the system code, so that TenOS can run smoothly on low-end chips, and then we can take a people-friendly route to seize the market.
With the full support of the group, I am confident that I can overcome all the technical difficulties of TenOS within 12 months."
"Support is no problem." Song Ci immediately made the decision, "The group will recruit high-paying talents needed for R&D.
I have someone contacted Nokia's MeeGo system team. They are looking to sell it. This team has rich experience in operating system development, so we must strive to acquire it. Mr. Liu continued.
“The mid-term goal is to build our own core technology and achieve partial iOS compatibility.
The specific plan is to gradually replace key modules such as the kernel and virtual machine based on open source Android, while developing an iOS compatibility layer to attract Apple users.
"In other words, in the medium term, we need to reduce our reliance on open source Android and turn to self-developed components?" Song Ci confirmed.
"Mr. Song is absolutely right!" Engineer Liu's thoughts became clearer. "I've done in-depth research on the underlying logic of the BlackBerry QNX system. If we can combine it with Linux technology, we can build an efficient kernel template.
By developing translation tools, iOS applications can be run on TenOS."
Song Ci frowned slightly and pondered, "The technical barriers of the closed-source iOS system are too high. In my opinion, there's no need to force application compatibility.
It would be better to focus on data migration and provide tools to allow users' contacts, photos and other information to be smoothly imported into TenOS."
Engineer Liu paused, then nodded slowly. "Mr. Song, that's a good point! Deep compatibility at the application layer is indeed difficult, and data migration is a more practical option."
In this case, we can develop iCloud to TenOS migration tools and strengthen alternatives to our own services such as WeChat and Tenda Cloud to lower the migration threshold for users."
He then unfolded his blueprint: "The long-term goal is to completely break free from dependence and build an independent, future-oriented TenOS.
It will adopt a microkernel architecture to achieve cross-platform capabilities, using the same core system for mobile phones and tablets. Only then will the group have true say in the ecosystem."
"Very good! This three-step strategy is clear and feasible. Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang," Song Ci's eyes flashed with a gleam. This was exactly the ultimate form he expected.
Turning to his two right-hand men, he said, "Emperor Liu has a technical roadmap, and the next step is to secure resources.
Mr. Zhang, there is no upper limit on the R&D budget. You will lead the Finance and Strategic Investment Department and come up with a preliminary budget within a week. If necessary, you can use the group's reserve funds.
Mr. Wang, you are responsible for coordinating the recruitment of top global talents, especially experts in operating system kernel, compiler, driver development and ecosystem construction.
The Nokia MeeGo team is our primary target, but we must also look beyond Silicon Valley and Europe, and we will poach top talent at any cost!"
"Understood!" Zhang Yong and Wang Jing said in unison, their expressions solemn and determined.
The two knew that this would be the largest and most strategically significant investment since Tengda was founded, and they had no choice.
“Also,” Song Ci added, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, “Establish a TenOS special business unit.
Mr. Liu is the Chief Technology Officer and reports directly to me. The division has the highest priority, and all the group's resources are allocated unconditionally.
At the same time, we established the OS Strategy Committee, with me as the chairman and Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, Mr. Liu, and the core technical backbones who joined later as members. We hold monthly meetings to ensure the implementation of the strategy.
This arrangement gave Mr. Liu unprecedented authority and responsibilities, and also clarified the core position of the project.
Mr. Liu took a deep breath and felt the burden on his shoulders was heavier than a thousand pounds, but a burning fighting spirit was burning in his heart.
Song Ci nodded with satisfaction, boosted morale, and made a final summary: "Everyone, developing an independent operating system is by no means a momentary impulse.
This is a strategic high ground that concerns the core competitiveness of the group in the next ten years and even the country in the mobile Internet era!
The road ahead is bound to be fraught with obstacles: Google's countermeasures, Apple's barriers, developers' wait-and-see attitude, user habits, and competition from competitors... Every hurdle is a tough one.
But I believe that with Tenda's technological accumulation, financial strength, the ecological stickiness of WeChat, and the strategic needs at the national level, we have a great chance of success! "
Song Ci’s eyes became sharp and powerful again, sweeping over every executive: “Today’s decision is Tengda’s “Moon Landing Plan”.
The investment is huge and the risk is extremely high, but once successful, the rewards will be immeasurable.
I ask everyone to put aside their doubts and give it their all! I will provide the people and money, and I will fight for the policies you need!
We have only one goal: to carve Tenda's name into the core infrastructure of the mobile internet! Meeting adjourned!
(End of this chapter)
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