Photo taken on May 4, 2009 shows cell phones on promotional board in Xidan center, Beijing, capital of China.  (Xinhua Zhang Yanhui) China registered 670 million cell phone users by the end of March, with the boost of the third-generation (3G) networks, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on May 18, 2009. Photo Gallery>>>

   China's cell phone users top 670 mln after 3G services start

   BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China registered 670 million cell phone users by the end of March, with the boost of the third-generation (3G) networks, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Monday.

   Before 3G services were started, China had 600 million cell phone users at the end of last July, according to MIIT data. Users grew monthly by 7.42 million. After 3G started on Jan. 7, 10 million people became registered cell phone users in February and March, said Xi Guohua, minister of MIIT. Full story