China Mobile wireless subscribers surpass entire US population
Today in the "mind blowing" department, we have China Mobile -- the largest mobile carrier on the planet -- stating that its customer base of just over 301 million exceeds that of the entire population of the United States. Yes, all the people living in the U.S these days can't hold a candle to just the mobile subscribers with a China Mobile plan across the Pacific. Maybe one of these days, every man, woman and infant in these parts will be a paying mobile subscriber; until then, China Mobile has the goods. But, let's put it into perspective economically on how much the Chinese mobile subscriber loves telecom services: "Many Chinese spend a greater percentage of monthly income on pre-paid phone cards than Americans spend on food. This says a lot about the perceived importance of telecommunications in that society," says Julie Pohlig, senior analyst at Vital Wave Consulting.[Via textually.org]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David @ Apr 9th 2007 9:07PM
"Many Chinese spend a greater percentage of monthly income on pre-paid phone cards than Americans spend on food."
That's because Americans are obese and addicted to food.
Jamar @ Apr 10th 2007 8:59AM
Oddly enough, wireless plans are CHEAPER here (China). I currently have a really small package plan (20 minutes and 60 texts with overage running at a reasonable $.02/minute) but it's really cheap- $1.50/month or so. Then on top of that I get a data package plan (50MB) for $2.50 (If I wanted I could get 100MB of data for the same price but that's only available to post-paid customers on China Unicom- I'm on China Mobile). To recap- I get 20 voice minutes, 60 text messages, and 50MB of GPRS data (no EDGE in Shanghai yet, only Guangzhou) all for $4/month. Beat that. Even better- I can get 450 minutes for $6/month (I don't because I don't talk that much) and 2GB of data usage (clearly marked, none of that fake "unlimited" crap) for $25 if I wanted to (I don't get it all because I don't tether often). Yes, the American cellphone market needs a kick in the rear, and not just from the "hyper-advanced" side (Japan/Korea) which they already got/will get from Helio/KDDI Mobile- they need a kick from the "prices that aren't extortionate" side (China) too.
Codelicious @ Apr 10th 2007 3:19PM
i just want to mention one thing:
China mobile operators (China Mobile and China Unicom) offer this feature: all incoming voice calls and incoming messages free, any time any day any network any carrier.
now take that US carriers!
teodoro @ Apr 10th 2007 3:19PM
20 voice minutes per month, are you serious? I have more than 20 voice minutes of pure silence per day.
Jamar @ Apr 11th 2007 5:37AM
@teodoro-
I don't talk a whole lot- so I get a plan that suits me. You talk a lot- you can get 1800 minutes for $25/month (here in China). Like I said, prices are reasonable here and make US rates look downright extortionate.
Nicole @ Sep 15th 2007 1:52PM
The world's fastest-growing economy and the world's most populous nation, 21st Century China is fulfilling Napoleon Bonaparte's prediction that it would one day "astonish the world".
"China mobile wireless subscribers" is a phenomenon,reflecting the rapid development of China.China s tremendous economic growth creates new opportunities and challenges for U.S. businesses. Between 1978 and 2002, China's annual GDP growth reached 9.4%, three times the world's average, and in recent years (2001-2004) China accounted for one third of global economic growth.
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