March 19, 2010 (Chinavestor) China Unicom (NYSE:CHU), the second largest Chinese mobile carrier after China Mobile (NYSE:CHL), reported operational statistics for the month of February as follows. Total number of cell subscribers reached 146.39 million - well below China Mobile's 522 million. More importantly, 3G subscriber growth continued to slow after a peak in December last year. It looks that Apple's iPhone, selling for $1000 apiece, is too expensive for the Chinese market.
The company reported total 3G subscriber base of 4.065 million with a slowing growth path. The company added only 470,000 new subscribers in February, its lowest monthly number on record.
While 3G growth is lackluster, 2G growth remains average, according to the latest statistics.
The good news is that the fixed line segment recovered from the dramatic loss of -2.11 million subscribers in December 2009, shedding only -410,000 accounts in February.
While relatively small yet highly profitable, the broadband segment, experienced a similar resurgence than the fixed line business segment. total number of user accounts reached 40.306 million, an increase of 791,000 accounts in February.
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