We think that, currently, the GSM network will reach its capacity of about 60 million subscribers in two to three years time, vice president Li Zhengmao told Reuters.

The code division multiple access (CDMA) network after 2003 would be the main sector for new subscribers carrying more data than the current global system for mobile communications (GSM).

The prediction accounts for 35% of the domestic market from its current 22.7 %.

China’s mobile phone carriers rely almost exclusively on the GSM standard dominant in Europe and much of Asia.