CHINA TOPIX

03/29/2024 04:10:05 am

Make CT Your Homepage

668 Million Chinese People Now Online – Most on Mobile

China Internet Police

(Photo : Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) The proposed Internet police will closely monitor the activities in certain online sites to make sure that no unlawful activities are happening.

More than 668 million people in China have access to the Internet as of June this year. This makes China  the country with the highest concentration of Internet users.

Almost 600 million people in China are accessing the web through mobile gadgets. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of the country's netizens has increased by almost 19 million in the first half of 2015.The number of people who used their smartphones to go online increased by more than 36 million in that time.

Like Us on Facebook

Internet regulators estimate that almost 90 percent of Chinese netizens use their smartphones and other mobile device to surf the web.

While mobile internet is increasing, the number of Chinese netizens using traditional personal computers (PC), laptops or even tablets is decreasing. About 68 percent use a PC to go online, while less than 45 percent go online using a laptop. Only a third of the country's netizens use a tablet to access the Internet. Internet regulators believe the increasing size of smartphone market is the main reason why tablets are becoming the least favorite device to go online.

Interestingly, China now also has the most number of smartphone users anywhere in the world based on a Global Systems for Mobile Communications Alliance survey. The paper added that almost half of the Chinese population, in theory, have a smartphone.

China's smartphone market offers a wide variety of local and international brands; many of them have 4G capabilities. The research paper estimates that at least one billion Chinese will have access to 4G networks in five years time.

Online financial transactions through smartphones have also increased this year. Netizens using their smartphones to pay for items online increased by almost 27 percent. Mobile online shoppers bought 15 percent more items compared to last year. Online travel booking through mobile phones also increased by more than 25 percent.

Internet authorities are optimistic that the country's netizens will continue to increase in numbers. Almost 190 million of the total online users are from rural areas, representing around 28 percent of Chinese netizens.

Real Time Analytics