China's total number of telephone subscribers is expected to top 820 million this year, Ministry of Information Industry has predicted.

The new year will see the increases of 30 million fixed-line subscribers and 48 million cell phone subscribers, according to the ministry's projection of the domestic telecom market.

Latest figures released by the ministry say that China had reported 746 million telephone subscribers by the end of 2005.

The growing number of subscribers in the new year will undoubtedly bring about more business, and the ministry has projected the telecom business income in 2006 is to hit 700 billion yuan (US$86 billion).

Meanwhile, the availability of fixed-line and cell phones will climb to 29 percent and 34 percent respectively, it said.

During the 10th Five-Year Plan period between 2001 and 2005, China's telecom business income grew by an average 13.4 percent annually, with 100 million new subscribers every year.

China has the world's largest number of phone subscribers, both for fixed-line and cell phones.

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2006)