BEIJING, April 5 -- China Mobile will create another 100 million mobile phone numbers by launching a "159" series starting this month in Guangdong Province.

    New numbers beginning with those three digits are expected to help the country's No. 1 mobile operator prepare for third-generation phone services, which are expected to begin this year, industry insiders said.

    China Mobile spokesperson Gao Songge declined to reveal the national kick-off timetable for the new numbers, saying Guangdong Mobile is in charge of the launch.

    Guangdong Mobile intends to begin with 10 million new numbers in the south China province by the end of 2006, according to a company source quoted in the Guangzhou-based Information Times.

    China Mobile added 4.2 million subscribers in February, taking its total to 254.9 million, the company said.

    By the end of February, China's mobile phone user base surpassed 400 million for the first time and is expected to reach 600 million in 2009, according to ROA Group, a Japan-based telecom consulting firm.

    At present, China Mobile uses phone numbers beginning with three digits ranging from 134 to 139. China Unicom uses the numbers from 130 to 133.

    "In addition to expanding its limited number resources, China Mobile's action is a move that helps prepare it for the coming 3G services," Norson Telecom Consulting told Shanghai Daily.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)