BEIJING—China Unicom has reported to have more than 35 million mobile subscribers. Growth was slow in the beginning, but the company is now firmly hacking away at China Mobile’s dominant position.
China Unicom cut over its first four mobile networks in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou in 1995. By October 1998, the company registered only 1 million subscribers. By June 2000, it had risen to 10 million. Six months later, the number doubled to 20 million, and Unicom broke the 30 million mark in June of this year. By the end of the year, the number of subscribers on its GSM network is expected to reach 40 million.
Mobile network capacity now stands at 43.62 million subscribers in 328 cities across the country. Roaming is available with 78 operators in 57 countries.
