Editing Telecommunications in China (section)

==Sectors==
{{further|Telecommunications industry in China}}
===Telephone===
[[File:Map of the telephone area codes of the People's Republic of China.png|thumb|Telephone area codes]]
*Telephones – main lines in use: 284.3 million (March 2012)<ref name=engadgetmar2011/>
*Telephones – mobile cellular subscribers: 1.01 billion (March 2012)<ref name=engadgetmar2011/>
*Telephone country code: 86 (see ''[[Telephone numbers in China]]'')

China imported its first mobile phone telecommunication facilities in 1987 and it took a decade for the number of subscribers to reach 10 million. Four years later, in 2001, the country had the largest number of mobile phone subscribers in the world.

Domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use. But an unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns. China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 of China's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of an international consortium which, in December 2006, signed an agreement with [[Verizon Business]] to build the first next-generation optical cable system directly linking the [[United States]] and China.

In December 2005, its combined main lines and mobile lines exceeded 743 million.

By the end of August 2006, statistics from the Ministry of Information Industry showed that there were more than 437 million mobile phone users in the Chinese mainland, or 327 mobile phones per 1,000 population.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-02/09/content_6446261.htm| title = Chinadaily – English<!-- Bot generated title -->| access-date = 9 February 2008| archive-date = 10 February 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080210213912/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-02/09/content_6446261.htm| url-status = live}}</ref>

From January to August 2006, mobile phone users on the mainland sent 273.67 million [[Short message service|text messages]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/07/content_5172866.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121007165105/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/07/content_5172866.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 7 October 2012| title = Xinhua – English<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> Continuing as of at least 2023, fees for text messages and [[Multimedia Messaging Service|MMS]] in China are extremely low.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=148}}

Domestic interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Jeffrey |title=COMMUNICATIONS IN CHINA {{!}} Facts and Details |url=https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub44/entry-8306.html |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=factsanddetails.com |language=en |archive-date=29 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329041655/https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat7/sub44/entry-8306.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations was{{when|date=July 2021}} in place.{{cn|date=July 2021}}

International satellite earth stations include 5 [[Intelsat]] (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 [[Intersputnik]] (Indian Ocean region) and 1 [[Inmarsat]] (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions).

Several international fiber-optic links include those to [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Russia]], and [[Germany]].{{cn|date=July 2021}}

Fixed and mobile operators in China include [[China Mobile]], [[China Netcom]], [[China TieTong Telecommunications Corporation|China TieTong]], [[China Satellite Communications|China Satcom]] (former), [[China Telecom]] and [[China Unicom]].

===Radio===
{{Excerpt|Radio in China}}

===Television===
{{Excerpt|Television in China}}

===Internet===
{{Excerpt|Internet in China|only=paragraph|paragraphs=1-2}}

==== Mobile phone web users ====
The affordability of mobile phones and internet data in China has resulted in the number of mobile internet users in China surpassing the number of computer internet users.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Parzyan |first=Anahit |url= |title=China and Eurasian Powers in a Multipolar World Order 2.0: Security, Diplomacy, Economy and Cyberspace |date=2023 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |others=Mher Sahakyan |isbn=978-1-003-35258-7 |edition= |location=New York |pages= |chapter=China's Digital Silk Road: Empowering Capabilities for Digital Leadership in Eurasia |oclc=1353290533}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=178}}