BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhuanet)-- China's mobile output in 2006 is expected to reach 340 million units, according to the Ministry of Information Industry's forecast.

    Among the total, 250 million units will be exported to the overseas market, said the ministry.

    Chinese consumers will maintain a high demand for mobile phones this year, and the country will have about 48 million new mobile phone subscribers this year, the ministry forecast.

    About 40 percent to 50 percent in-use mobile phones in China will be replaced this year as more new-style mobile phones to be on sales with their prices going down, said the ministry.

    China's mobile phone industry grew fast in 2005, with the annual output hitting 303.67 million units, a year-on-year growth of 30 percent, accounting for about 36.8 percent of the global total.

    China's mobile export also surged 56 percent last year to about 228 million units, according to statistics with the ministry.

    By the end of 2005, China's mobile phone subscribers has totaled 393.4 million, with each 100 subscribers sharing about 30.3 units.

    The ministry noted that though China has been an important force in global mobile phone production, its export still rely on foreign-invested companies in China.

    Statistics with the ministry said mobile export of the foreign-invested companies in China accounted for 94.2 percent of China's national mobile export. Enditem