Internet users in China cross half billion mark

Beijing, Jan 17 (ANI): The number of web users in China reached the 513 million mark by the end of December 2011, a report has revealed.

According to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the Internet penetration rate rose to 38.3 percent, up four percentage points from the same period in 2010, increasing by 55.8 million Internet users.

Acceding to the report, the number of mobile phone Internet users also increased, reaching 356 million by the end of December 2011, up 17.5 percent from the previous year, The China Daily reports.

The report also revealed that there were nearly 2.3 million websites in China by the end of 2011, up 20 percent from 2010.

The rapid growth of China's Internet population, already the largest in the world, has spurred expansion in the country's Internet economy.

Shanghai-based Internet consulting firm iResearch's statistics earlier revealed that the value of China's Internet economy surged 72.7 percent year-on-year to 71.6 billion Yuan (11.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the third quarter of 2011. (ANI)