Gov't Tells Telecoms Companies to Raise Internet Speeds, Lower Fees

(Beijing) – China's government is pressing the telecoms industry to improve Internet speeds and coverage and lower prices in the country with the world's largest population of Net users.

China had more than 649 million people connected to the Internet by the end of last year, a report from the state-run China Internet Network Information Center said, far more than the numbers in the United States and India. Some 557 million Chinese people used smartphones to connect to the Net.