China Mobile to build 500,000 4G base stations

BEIJING - China Mobile, China's largest telecom firm, said Monday plans more than 500,000 4G base stations by the end of 2014.

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4G international roaming services will be opened in another 50 countries or regions which Chinese tourists frequently visit, Huang Wenlin, vice president of China Mobile told a press conference. Services currently extend to Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States.

China Mobile customers can access 4G services through a new 4G USIM card without changing their number or going through registration.

New packages include a low-cost option of 500M of 4G data for 58 yuan (about $9.30), 30 yuan less than the current minimum package.

In another package, 4G subscribers can enjoy 2 GB of LTE data for 70 yuan per month, double the volume of the previous deals.

China Mobile will also do more to handle the problem of malware, junk messages and pornography, Huang said.

The moves were seen as part of efforts taken by the giant operator to address clients' complaints about either high prices or sometimes poor services.

China Mobile added 5.8 million 4G users in June, bringing its total to 13 million. The carrier plans 50 million new 4G users in 2014.