China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone service provider, is on track to reach 300 million subscribers by the end of this year, as long as it maintains its current growth rate.

The number of China Mobile subscribers through the end of September, at 287.15 million, is already higher than that of the entire U.S. The company's average monthly growth rate is now up to 4.3 million. Multiply the average growth rate by three, for the remaining months of the year, and it gets 300.05 million subscribers, a huge number for one company.

By comparison, the U.S. industry organization, Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA), estimates U.S. mobile phone subscriptions at 225.65 million currently.

In India, which is competing with China for the fastest monthly subscriber growth rates in the world, the total now stands at 129.51 million. India added 6.07 million new subscribers in September, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

China Mobile's subscriber growth appears to be accelerating, which should ensure it tackles the 300 million level. September was an above-average month for the company, as it added 4.467 million new users. For the entire third quarter, China Mobile increased its subscriber figures by 13.36 million, while for the full year, it has added 39.14 million subscribers.

The number of voice minutes sold by the company in the third quarter rose 37.9 percent over the same time last year, while SMS (short message service) gauged a 42.8 percent increase in volume, China Mobile said. The company has also been able to arrest its dropping average revenue per user (ARPU) figures, stabilizing at RMB89 ($11.27), up slightly from RMB 88 during the first half of this year, but still down compared to the same time last year.

Source:佚名