China has most telephone subscribers in world
( 2003-11-12 21:25) (Xinhua)
China had over 500 million telephone subscribers
by the end of the third quarter of this year, ranking the top in the world, said
sources with the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry on Wednesday.
The information communication industry has become a leading and basic
industry in China, said Xi Guohua, China's vice minister of Information
Industry, at the opening ceremony of the 2003 China International Communication
Equipment & Technology Exhibition held Wednesday in Beijing.
According to statistics with the International Telecommunication Union, China
had 19 percent of the world's telephone subscribers in 2002, compared to 9.6
percent in 1998.
Every 100 people in China have 20.3 fixed telephones and 19.5 mobile phones.
The number of Internet users reached 68 million in the first half of 2003,
ranking the second in the world.
The Ministry of Information Industry would follow the trend of world
information and technology and create a fair environment for market competition
in the field, said Xi.
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