LOCAL expatriates are hailing a letter of intent between Zhuhai Gateway Language Village （GLV） and China Mobile Zhuhai to provide 50 local expatriates free English weather report services for half a year.
　　 Because it is difficult for westerners to obtain local weather forecasts in English, GLV negotiated with China Mobile Zhuhai to provide the free service. Bruce Morton, an Indian teacher at GLV, called it a good idea and said he is happy with the results of his talk with Ai Bo, chief client manager in Xiangzhou District, and three representatives of the company last Tuesday evening.
　　 Like other Chinese mobile phone users, expatriates receive a weather report message every day but "You need a Chinese to translate it for you", Morton said. What he usually does is to send the cell phone message to a friend for translation.“It is inconvenient,“ he stressed.
　　 Located in a subtropical zone, Zhuhai is frequented by typhoons or storms especially in summer,and this makes it more important to know the weather in advance, Morton explained.　　 It happens that when he walks to school that is not far away from where he lives, he runs into a sudden rain or drizzle without his umbrella.
　　 In India, mobile companies provide free services such as weather updates, free or 50 per cent-discount time periods of cell phone use or free roaming in a bid to lure customers, and customers may decide which company to register with based on their own needs, Morton said.
　　 Terence, a young Burmese who just came to Zhuhai last week, also welcomed the agreement. There is no such service in Burma,and communications fees are very high, he explained. He predicted that China Mobile could make a fortune if it sold SIM cards in Burma.
　　 Canadian teacher Marilyn Odberg claimed she was excited and happy about the service.It will be great to know what the weather will be like in advance, as it would help in making decisions for outings, she pointed out.
　　 The three representatives of the company were all ears to suggestions and ideas about their services. Chief Client Manager Ai also showed his sincerity in providing the weather updates, admitting there remains much to do in working out more English client-oriented services.
　　 GLV is asking the Zhuhai International Association （ZIA） to provide some 40 expat names and cell phone numbers so that the first group of English weather message users can be covered soon. Expats can get more information from the website: www.macauzhuhai.com .

http://www.zhnews.net/tqb/browse.php?ud_key=6235&ud_year=2006