BEIJING, CHINA, October 16, 2001 - Continuing to drive SMS growth, SOHU.COM (NASDAQ: SOHU), China's leading online media, communications and commerce company and Beijing Mobile Communication Corporation (BMCC), a subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corporation (NYSE: CHL) today announced the ongoing results of an exclusive branding alliance established to accelerate wireless traffic in China with an incentive-marketing campaign called the "World Cup Asian Qualifier Competition."

Under the terms of the competition, interested subscribers give SOHU permission to send them a series of World Cup football questions, which if answered correctly places mobile-users in a premier position to win a selection of prizes including all expenses paid trips to Shenyang, host city of the remaining three rounds of the World Cup Asian qualifier. Within two weeks a cluster of over 7,000 mobile subscribers have added their names to the competition that has generated over 236,000 paid wireless transactions.

"This momentum-marketing strategy is designed to offer a compelling wireless experience that gives SMS subscribers an incentive to spend more money on mobile services," said Elaine Feng, Vice-president of Corporate Business Development at SOHU.COM. "SOHU and BMCC have established a positive buying environment where wireless services are targeted at the specific needs of large lifestyle communities."

"Chinese soccer fans are the liveliest sporting segment in the country, so any promotional campaign capitalizing on the elation surrounding China's entry into the World Cup Finals is guaranteed to be a huge success," said, Luo Shouzhong, Deputy General Manager of Marketing at Beijing Mobile Communications Corporation. "BMCC and SOHU have joined forces to create a very successful sales platform that leverages permission-based marketing and facilitates word-of-mouth advertising. With only a negligible promotional investment, both companies are witnessing significant growth in brand loyalty and awareness."

In a related development, over one million SMS messages were sent to SOHU's fee-based mobile-subscribers during the 24 hours covering China's World Cup qualification and the launch of the U.S.-led anti-terrorist air strikes. The latest numbers have once again propelled SOHU to the forefront of China's competitive wireless market, and demonstrated the company's consumer-centric SMS strategy continues to stimulate non-advertising revenues.

Competition link: http://sms.sohu.com/worldcup/tenqiangsai.htm

About China Mobile Communications Corporation
China Mobile has been in operation for since 1987 when mobile telephony was first introduced in the Chinese mainland. The history of mobile communications growth in China bears witnesses to the entire course of China Mobile growth strategy and its predecessors the mobile communications service under China Telecom. Thanks to the construction and expansion in the past 13 years, China Mobile has put in place an integrated communications network offering large coverage, diversified services, and outstanding communications quality. Mainly supplying mobile telephony, data, IP telephony and multimedia services, it has obtained the right to operate internet as an international interconnection unit and provide fax, data, "Quanqiutong" IP telephony, information-on-demand, handset banking, Global Access WAP and a host of other value-added services in addition to the basic voice service.

For more information: http://www.chinamobile.com/english/english.htm

About SOHU.com
SOHU.com is the leading Internet portal in Mainland China with current daily page views exceeding 12 million. It provides navigation/search, news, sports, business and finance, real estate channel, entertainment, chat, email and e-commerce activities for a solid and wide base of visitors. Dr. Charles Zhang founded SOHU.com in 1997. Its investors include Intel, Dow Jones, IDG, the Morningside China Group, PCCW, Legend and Hikari. Its content partners include CNET, DOW Jones and dozens of local media organizations in China.

For further information:
Dahlia Wei
SOHU Investor Relations and Communications
Tel: +86 10 6272 6598
E-mail: ir@sohu-inc.com
http://www.sohu.com/about/English/