The number of mobile phone users in China hit 167 million in April, an increase of 6 million subscribers from the previous month. According to China's Ministry of Information Industry, the latest figure represents a mobile phone penetration rate of 13 percent. The ministry's statistics also indicate that another 1.1 billion Chinese nationals do not use a mobile phone.
China is the world's No. 1 mobile phone market, with the U.S. trailing in second place with 136 million subscribers. China Mobile is the country's largest wireless carrier with over 100 million subscribers. The country's telecommunications industry is undergoing massive liberalization. Last Thursday, for instance, Chinese officials split government-owned China Telecom in two.
CNET Asia's Fran Foo reported from Singapore. CNET Asia's Hu Hai Wei contributed from Beijing.
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