China Telecom Corp, the Chinese mainland's largest fixed-line operator it added 12.95 million users last year, slowing from 2005, partly because it cut back on promotions of a city-wide wireless service.

The company had 223.04 million subscribers, including users of "Little Smart," at the end of 2006; Beijing-based China Telecom started reporting monthly numbers last year and doesn't break down figures for Little Smart, a wireless operation that functions similarly to a mobile-phone service within a limited range such as a city.

China Telecom and fixed-line rival China Netcom Group Corp (Hong Kong) Ltd are easing promotions of Little Smart before the government issues licenses for high-speed phone networks. User growth at fixed-line operators is also slowing because more people are using mobile phones.

The mainland hasn't set a timetable for awarding permits for so-called third-generation, or 3G, services, which allow faster downloads of video and music.

China Telecom added 640,000 subscribers in December, the smallest monthly growth last year. China Netcom, which doesn't report monthly numbers, had 119.5 million subscribers, including 30,000 for Little Smart, at the end of September.

About 33.9 percent of people in the mainland owned a mobile phone at the end of November, compared with 28.3 percent for fixed lines. The mainland had 455 million mobile users as of November 30, more than the combined populations of Japan and the United States, compared with 370.2 million for fixed lines.

China Mobile Ltd, the world's biggest cell-phone operator by users, added a record 4.67 million subscribers in November.

Source:未知