From AP via Examiner.com:
China Mobile Ltd., the country’s biggest mobile phone carrier, said Monday its first-quarter profits surged while China Telecom Ltd., the country’s main fixed-line carrier, reported essentially flat earnings, reflecting a shift in consumer tastes.
Consumers in China increasingly view fixed-line service as impractical, opting instead to use only mobile phones. China has the world’s biggest population of mobile users, with some 520 million accounts, and the government says that number should reach 600 million soon. “The rapid growth in China’s economy and the vigorous demand for telecommunications services continued to create a prosperous environment,” said a China Mobile statement.