Chinese media call it "Ten Thousand Consumers Suing China Mobile And China Unicom", a movement which started last year for consumers to air their gripes about China's nascent telecom sector, and six lawsuits raised by four consumers are jointly being processed this week at the Beijing Xicheng District People's Court.
The accusers previously tried to sue China Mobile and China Unicom in their own respective home cities, but they later communicated online and decided to form a "Ten Thousand Accuser Group" to bring the two mobile operators to court in Beijing's Xicheng District, where the headquarters of the two mobile operators are located. They are suing the telecom operators for various consumer-related reasons such as poor service support, inadequate fee transparency and overcharging.
Beijing Xicheng District People's Court has already received 67 lawsuits against China Mobile and China Unicom, which were launched by consumers from 28 provinces and cities across China.
Neither China Mobile nor China Unicom sent representatives to the court's hearing for the six cases because they believe that the court is not entitled to accept the case because it lacks jurisdiction. The telecom companies say the plaintiffs must return to their home provinces and conduct the trials there, away from the glare of national media.
