China Mobile will invest 13 billion yuan (US$2.03 billion) in Shanghai in the three years to 2013 to upgrade the existing 2G network, establish 4G and expand Wi-Fi coverage in public areas by 18 times, the country's biggest mobile carrier said yesterday.

China Mobile said it will establish 4G trial networks in areas that include Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, Lujiazui in Pudong New Area, the People's Square and Hengshan Road.

The 4G network should enable mobile Internet access speeds of 50 to 100 megabits per second - 10 to 20 times faster than 3G technology.

Meanwhile, Shanghai Mobile plans to build 90,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in Shanghai by the end of 2013, compared with about 5,000 now. The company said users of laptops, tablet computers and smartphones will be able to access the Internet through its Wi-Fi services, which it claims will cover 80 percent of downtown public areas.

Research firm Gartner expects worldwide mobile data traffic to grow 26 times between 2010 and 2015, and mobile data service revenue to total US$314.7 billion this year, 22.5 percent more than last year.

Source:china.org.cn