China had over 500 million telephone subscribers by the end of the third quarter of this year, ranking the top in the world, said sources with the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry on Wednesday.

The information communication industry has become a leading and basic industry in China, said Xi Guohua, China's vice minister of Information Industry, at the opening ceremony of the 2003 China International Communication Equipment & Technology Exhibition held Wednesday in Beijing.

According to statistics with the International Telecommunication Union, China had 19 percent of the world's telephone subscribers in 2002, compared to 9.6 percent in 1998.

Every 100 people in China have 20.3 fixed telephones and 19.5 mobile phones. The number of Internet users reached 68 million in the first half of 2003, ranking the second in the world.

The Ministry of Information Industry would follow the trend of world information and technology and create a fair environment for market competition in the field, said Xi.

Close

Today's Top News		Top National News
+Investors encouraged to buy big state firms ( 2003-11-12) +Chen Shui-bian gets tough warning ( 2003-11-12) +Focus: Internet brings life revolution ( 2003-11-12) +Deflation, not inflation, in the wind ( 2003-11-12) +Nuke talks possible before year's end ( 2003-11-12)		+A migrant worker's struggle for subsistence for 115 days ( 2003-11-12) +China has most telephone subscribers in world ( 2003-11-12) +70% college graduates find jobs ( 2003-11-12) +Charter for proposed Asia-Pacific space group passed ( 2003-11-12) +Life returns to normal as floodwater leavesc ( 2003-11-12)