China Unicom Ltd., the smaller of the nation's two mobile-phone companies, said first-quarter profit gained 31 percent because of an increase in subscribers. Net income rose to 1.4 billion yuan($175 million), or 0.11 yuan per share, from 1.06 billion yuan, or 0.085 yuan, China Unicom said today in an e-mail statement. Sales rose 9.8 percent to 22.9 billion yuan from 20.9 billion yuan. (CE.cn)

ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecom equipment maker, said its net profit fell more than 85 percent in the first quarter due to adjustments in its capital expenditure. The company said Wednesday it earned 33.42 million yuan (US$4.2 million), compared with 230.43 million yuan in the year-earlier period, based on Chinese accounting standards. "There was a substantial decline in investment in PHS and CDMA networks as telecommunications carriers adjusted their total capital expenditure and investment structure," the company said in a statement. (Shenzhen Daily)

In 2004, China exported information and telecommunications equipment worth US $180 billion, surpassing the United States to become the world's biggest exporter of such devices. Export volume records show that last year the country maintained the number one spot. Statistics show that production volumes of Chinese TV sets, audio equipment and IT devices have all seen steady increases in recent years. (China Today)

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