May 26th, 2005
China: 500 million mobile subscribers in 2007
At the Future in Review conference, , general manager, Strategic Development Department, China Mobile Communications, provided some data about her company’s market and the cultural impact on the vast country. Even today, China has more mobile phone subscribers/SMS messengers than the entire population of the U.S. 
- Mobile phone subscriptions in 2004: 340 million (15 percent growth year over year, 26 percent of the population in China)
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Total number of wired and wireless subscriptions in China: 650 million
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Mobile phone subscriptions by 2007: 500 million, 35 percent of the population
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China Mobile Communications profit: 20 percent on revenue for 2004
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Subscribers who use 300 minutes every month: 200 million (costs about 100 yuan renminbi–$12 US)
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SMS messages sent in 2004: 220 billion
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SMS messages sent during Chinese New Year holiday this year: 11 billion (three times normal usage)
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China telecom industry annual growth rate: 10-percent-per-year for wired, 15-percent-per-year for mobile
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
