A high-ranking official from the Ministry of Information said October 25 that China will further readjust telecommunication fees in the next few years to gradually bring the prices to a reasonable level.

　 "Prices of some business items will be raised while some others will be decreased in the next few years, but the frequency of the readjustment will be higher than before," said Zhang Xiaotie, Vice Director of the Department of Financial Adjustment and Clearance.

　 The ministry released a series of price readjustment items, decreasing the prices for Internet access and the rent of electric lines, easing the restriction on renting of digital lines over two Megahertz and standardizing the price for installment and relocation of telephones.

　 According to the new fees, the access fee for Internet will be set at four yuan per minute, and the telephone charges for Internet use will be cut by half.

　 For those customers using special lines, the access fee will be cut by 45 percent.

　 Zhang noted that the price readjustment aims to spur the use of telecommunication services and promote the rapid development of the sector. It's the second time the country has cut telecommunication fees this year. The first readjustment was in March.

　 The new readjustment scheme also reduced the rental rates of analogue electric lines, the digital data lines and digital electric lines by 30 percent.

　 Zhang noted that some of these readjustment items went into effect on October 1, while some others will begin on November 1 and December 1.

　 He added that the development of new technology in the past years has greatly changed the cost of telecommunication business, so the price changes are inevitable. (Xinhua)