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Technology Stocks : QINNET---- CHINA INTERNET---- QNNT -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Far Side who wrote (65)	12/6/2000 8:53:22 AM
From: Far Side	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 69

Internet users in China up to 20 million Telecommunications Growth Estimates for China The size of China's telecommunications industry will double within five years, asserts the head of the mainland's telecom regulator. Minister of Information Industry Wu Jichuan (photo) says China will maintain its high growth rate of at least 20% a year in the telecoms sector during the next five years. The rate of growth had been accelerating, he told the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Asia Forum in Hong Kong. The ITU brings together the world's telecoms organizations to determine international industry standards and regulations. Mr Wu laid his emphasis on the pace of the sector's growth on the mainland. "It took 13 years for our fixed-line and mobile-phone user base to grow from 2.03 million in 1979 to 10 million in 1992," he said. The telecoms subscriber base increased to 100 million during the course of the six years from 1992 to 1998. And then the pace of growth increased further. "It only took two years to double our telecom users base to reach 200 million," Mr Wu said. As well, the number of Internet users had reached 20 million by September. With more than 200 million users of fixed and mobile phones, China has the world's second-largest telecoms market -- trailing only the United States. ITU secretary-general Yoshio Utsumi forecast China would soon become the world's leading telecoms nation, with the fastest annual growth rate. In order to cope with the fast growth, Mr Wu said the government would step up the development and liberalization of the telecoms sector by means of a five-pronged strategy. This will see the government's focus on: Speeding up the laying down of high-speed networks and integrating voice, data and video traffic on broadband networks; Strengthening research and development of telecom software and equipment; Opening up the market by promoting foreign investment and international cooperation in the industry to enhance competition; Stimulating the growth of information technology by encouraging governmental organizations, business entities and families to go online; and Maintaining the commitments China has made to the World Trade Organization to liberalize the telecoms industry and improve regulations to comply with international standards.