Chinese Mobile Growth Slows
Telegeography reports that growth in the number of Chinese mobile subscribers is slowing, and will only grow by 40 million to 440 million by the end of 2006. That's still pretty substantial growth in actual users, though it may not be as huge a percentage growth as the industry is used to. Should the country finally award 3G licenses, though, it could goose the mobile business there and deliver another big growth spurt. Speculation is that the country will award the licenses sometime after the turn of the year, and antcipation seems to be growing. This week, the vice minister of the information industry -- whose ministry oversees telecoms -- said it's time for the country to give out the licenses, because it will encourage competition, and waiting much longer will force users and operators to hang on to outdated equipment.
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