Page "Telecommunications in the People's Republic of China" Paragraph 11

Overall, China's telecommunications services improved enormously during the 1980s, and, the pace of telecommunications growth and technology upgrading increased even more rapidly after 1990, especially as fiber-optics systems and digital technology were installed.

After 1997, China's telecommunications services were enhanced further with the acquisition of Hong Kong's highly advanced systems.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, foreign investment in the country's telecommunications sector further encouraged growth.

Notable has been the tremendous increase in Internet and cellular phone usage.

China became the world leader in the early 21st century, in terms of number of cell phone subscribers.

The nation ranks first in the world in numbers of both mobile and fixed-line telephones, and first in the number of internet users.