Chinese Telecom Market Grew 11% in 2006

Press Release - 6:00 am on January 2, 2007

The number of Chinese telecommunications customers increased by 11% in 2006, with a total of 830 million fixed-line and mobile phone subscribers in the country as of December.

This number is expected to further increase in the months to come, topping 900 million by the end of 2007, according to government projections. China’s wireless market is expected to grow especially quickly, as rural markets open up, and an increasing number of urban residents begin to use two or more mobile phones.

Chinese internet usage also rose sharply in 2006. The country’s web-using population now stands at 132 million, representing a 19% jump since the end of 2005.