China's high tariffs provoke debate.(UNWIRED)

China ranks fourth bottom of the international rankings on press freedom, as reckoned by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers. That makes for a media distinguished only by its tameness (and helps explain the soaring popularity of the Web).

But telecom policy is an honorable exception. In the media and online, issues are vigorously debated and both operators and government come in for direct criticism.

China Mobile can attest to this. The 800-lb gorilla of China telecoms was on the end of a public flogging last month, with the media, bloggers and consumer adv