China's Mobile Phone Users Rank Third in the World

Vice minister of Information Industry Zhang Chunjiang said that China's mobile phone users have exceeded 50 million this March, ranking third in the world.

The theme of this year's World Telecommunication Day is mobile telecom.

Zhang Chunjiang said at the 32nd World Telecom Day Commemorative Conference convened May 17 that China's telecom industry has got fast and healthy development, outstanding achievements have been made, great leap has been achieved in technology and service level, the fast growth of mobile telecom has played an important role in motivating the great development process .

Zhang said that in 1998 when China's first analogue mobile phone system was put to commercial use, there were only 3,000 mobile phone users, switchboard volume only reached 30,000, information channel at 381.

Nowadays, with mobile phone switchboard volume reaching 86.57 million, information channels at 2.65 million, mobile phone users have topped over 50 million, ranking third in the world. Wireless beeper users have grown to 70 million from 1978's 31000.

Zhang noted that with competition introduced into telecom industry, a series of moves launched to restructure telecom industry and separate post offices from telecom industry, following a speedy process of China's entry into the WTO, a multi-competitive mode has been basically formed; competitive and service awareness has been increasingly strengthened.

The separation of China's mobile telecom assets and independent operation, regrouping of China Unicom will bring an efficient competition to China's mobile telecom market.

China is now gradually grasping the GSM and CDMA technology, this will promote the development of China's telecom facility manufacturing industry and the development and industrialization of the third mobile telecom system, Zhang said.



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