Xinjiang's broadband Internet penetration rate leads central, west China: report

The number of broadband Internet users in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region exceeded 12 million at the end of 2015, with the penetration rate ranking first in central and western China.

According to a report released by the Xinjiang regional computer network emergency response center on Tuesday, 12.62 million, or 54.9 percent of the population in the far western region, had access to the broadband Internet as of the end of last year, an increase of 10.8 percent year on year.

Xinjiang's broadband Internet penetration rate ranks ninth nationally and first among provincial-level regions in central and western China, the report said.

More than 18,000 websites have been registered in the region, including nearly 1,800 in minority languages such as Uygur, Kazak and Kyrgyz.

The report also said the region saw a boost in mobile Internet users, reaching almost 15 million -- up 12.2 percent year on year. Chinese smartphone brands such as Xiaomi and Huawei have gained popularity while instant messaging and shopping apps were the most downloaded. Endi