China Unicom wrests 3G market share

BEIJING -- China Unicom Ltd, the country's second-largest mobile operator, added 3.07 million 3G subscribers in August, according to a statement filed on Thursday to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The company's total number of 3G subscribers reached 63.69 million by the end of August, the statement said.

China Unicom has adopted a series of measures to win more 3G customers from market leader China Mobile Ltdm, including selling cheaper smartphones and offering lower-cost 3G services.

The operator aims to raise its 3G subscriber base to 90 million by the end of 2012.

Meanwhile, China Unicom's 2G subscribers climbed to 162 million by the end of August, up 336,000 month on month, according to the statement.

It added that the operator's Internet users with broadband access increased by 647,000 to reach 61.98 million by the end of last month, while its fixed-line telephone users fell by 167,000 to 92.41 million.

Shares in China Unicom rose 0.55 percent to open at 3.63 yuan on Thursday.