The number of phone users in China is expected to increase by a staggering 100 million in the year 2005, bringing total numbers in the country to 750 million.

The Ministry of Information Industry says China's telecommunication business would be worth more than one trillion yuan this year, up 28 percent on last year's figures.

China's phone use has been steadily increasing in recent years. For the last four consecutive years, annual numbers of new users have consistently stayed around the 90 million mark.

(CRI February 16, 2005)