The telecommunications industry in south China's Guangdong Province saw rapid growth last year, attracting 2.3 million new mobile phone users.

This was the second consecutive year the industry witnessed accelerated growth, according to an official with the provincial post and telecommunications bureau.

Guangdong had more than 30 million phone customers by the end of 1999, with six million mobile phone customers. In Guangzhou, the provincial capital, the number of fixed phone users reached 2.16 million, 280,000 more than in 1998.

Last year, the province also spent abundantly on telecommunications infrastructure and service facilities, and set up a telecom customer service center providing various services to improve operations and solve line-problems, and established an information directory desk offering consultations.

The number of Internet users in the province also grew substantially last year, to 1.5 million, 900,000 more than in 1998.

In addition, the province opened Internet service programs for customers wishing to engage in on-line businesses.