China to have 500 million smartphones users in 2014

BEIJING: Three out of every 10 smartphone users in the world will be Chinese as their number in the world's second largest economy is set to reach half-a-billion by the end of this year, officials said today.

China, which is also the world's most populous country, presently has 1.3 billion cellphone users, said Wang Xiangrong, deputy director of the China's State Internet Information Office (SIIO), country's Web regulator.

With smartphones becoming more affordable and improved telecommunication services, by the end of 2014 three of every 10 smartphone users in the world will be Chinese, Wang said today at an Internet industry conference here.

"More than 40 per cent of China's citizens will access the Internet through their cellphones next year," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying.

"In the last 20 years, the Internet in China has created a fertile market with limitless potential. The Internet has also facilitated new technological advances, products and business models as well as millions of jobs," Wang added.