The Times of India FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2002
China has 145mn mobile phone users: Web site REUTERS FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2002 BEIJING: China's mobile phone market, the world's largest, has reached 145 million subscribers, according to a statement on the Web site of its telecom regulator. China's Ministry of Information Industry chief, Wu Jichuan, cited the latest figure in a speech in Hawaii on Sunday, the MII said in a statement on its Web site, www.mii.gov.cn. Wu said in the statement, seen on Friday, that the figure was "current" but gave no specific period. Wu also said China's fixed-line business reached 179 million users. That was 2 million more subscribers than the end-November total. China, which surpassed the United States as world's largest cellular market last year, is one of the only major markets experiencing rapid growth in its mobile sector. China's two mobile operators, China Mobile Communications Corp and smaller rival China Unicom Group, have Hong Kong listed units in China Mobile (HK) and China Unicom. China had about 140 million cellphone users at the end of November. That was an increase of only four million in the month compared to an average of five million each month for the first 11 months of last year. Copyright © 2002 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.
