BEIJING—At a just concluded National Information Industry Work Conference, Minister Wu Jichuan revealed that China’s telecommunications industry achieved revenues of 353.5 billion yuan (US$42.71 billion) last year, up 15 percent. About 94 million subscribers were added to reach a total of 324 million, with a national telephone penetration rate of 25.9 percent.
The number of mobile-phone subscribers reached 145 million with a penetration rate of 11.2 percent.
China’s biggest mobile-phone operator, China Mobile, added 38.02 million new subscribers last year and reaped 134.8 billion yuan (US$16.29 billion) in revenues, up 17.5 percent compared with 2000. This year, the company forecasts to add 33 million new subscribers and to increase its revenues by 10.5 percent.
