China Sees Huge Demand For Net Content
techweb.com
(05/14/98; 5:21 p.m. EST)
By Mo Krochmal, TechWeb
MONTREAL -- China will have built sufficient network
infrastructure to support widespread Internet use by
2000, but there will be a shortage of content for
Chinese users, an official from Shanghai said Thursday.
The world's most populous country is captivated by the
Internet and is quickly building its communications
infrastructure to support faster connections, said
Rong-Xi Tan of the Science and Technology
Commission of Shanghai. Tan joined a panel at the
Mulitmedia and Internet International Market
conference and trade show here in Montreal.
Industry analysts said China is connecting more than 20 million new telephone lines every year, installing fiber optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems as well as building a domestic satellite network.
"In China, even the taxi drivers know about the
Internet," said Tan. "It's still very young, but we are
building the infrastructure."
Three million Chinese will have access to the Internet by
the end of this year, only a fraction of total population of
1.2 billion. Those using the Internet are mainly
government officials, technology buffs, academics, and
business people. Most connect to the Internet through
Chinanet, which is run by the Ministry of Information
Industries.
Internet use costs $2 an hour for individuals who have
paid a $12 to $14 fee for installation. The average user
is young -- 80 percent are between 21 and 35 -- works
in IT, and earns an average monthly salary between $50
and $250 per month. Thirty-six percent of all Internet
users are in Beijing.
Tan said the government encourages businesses to use
the Internet and establish a presence on the Web. The
government is also encouraging the development of
software and formatted fonts to ease the use of Chinese
characters for digital communication.
"Everything on the Web used to be in English," Tan
said. "In China, there is going to be a big boom at the
beginning of the next century, and content development
will be even more important."
Surprisingly, Tan said he also believes China needs to
adopt a more lenient policy toward Internet content.
"The regulations on the Internet, they need to let it go,"
he said. |
