Third-generation (3G) mobile telecommunications technology will begin to serve in China, the world's largest mobile telecom market, before 2008, according to an official from the Ministry of Information Industry (MII).

Qiao Yunshan, head of the MII's telecom product and system division, made the announcement at a high-tech exposition in Beijing, which opened Monday and concluded Friday.

Qiao said that his ministry has established a 1.21-billion-yuan (US$145.8 million) special fund to boost the development of the mobile telecom sector in China. Thanks to the fund's support, many Chinese telecom enterprises have started research and development in 3G cell phone technology, and some of them have completed tests on their 3G products, Qiao added.

Last year, business turnover in China's mobile telecom sector rose by 28 times compared with 1998.

MII data show that there are now 349 million subscribers to mobile telecom services in China, the most in the world. The total includes 319 million subscribers to GSM (global system for mobile telecommunications), and 30 million to CDMA (code division of multiple access) system.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2005)