The number of mobile phone users in China has kept growing, reaching 250 million, according to the Ministry of Information Industry on Friday.

Figures from the ministry showed that China witnessed nearly 51.86 million new phone subscribers in the first six months, of which 54.90 percent, or 28.47 million were cell phone users.

By June, China had 472 million phone subscribers.

From January to June, the mobile communication sector raked in 46.2 percent of the total telecommunication revenue, which stood at 219.97 billion yuan (US$26.50 billion).

However, officials with the ministry reminded that the core technology of the mobile communication industry was still in the hands of a few multi-national companies, and that if Chinese manufacturers wanted to get a bigger share of the market, they should accelerate the pace of technical innovation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2003)