China Mobile Subscribers Surpass Total US Population
location based services
by Carlo Longino on April 6th, 2007 in Stats
In case you were still wondering why people in the mobile industry remain fascinated with China, here’s a hint:
China Mobile Subscribers Surpass Total US Population:
China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator, recently announced that its subscriber base grew to 301 million, surpassing the total population of the United States.
Julie Pohlig, senior analyst at Vital Wave Consulting, a research and consulting firm focusing exclusively on emerging market business growth, says the 300-million-person milestone provides perspective on the sheer size of the Chinese market, and illustrates the perceived value of information and communications technology (ICT) to a population that has far less purchasing power.
“The image is striking — the equivalent of every man, woman and child in the U.S. using a cell phone,” says Pohlig. “But it’s important to understand that the per capita income of the Chinese subscribers is US$1700, not US$44,000 as in the United States.”
Another interesting tidbit: Chinese mobile subscribers pay on average 7% or more of their montly salary on mobile service — a greater percentage than Americans spend on food.
