China Mobile cuts international roaming fees

BEIJING - China Mobile Ltd cut international roaming fees charged for 38 countries and regions by as much as 80 percent on Monday in the hope of maintaining high-end users' loyalty amid the increasingly intense domestic competition.

The carrier, which had 616.8 million mobile subscribers by June, said in a company announcement that it cut the roaming charges in countries and regions including Australia, Germany, Canada and Singapore - popular destinations for Chinese travelers.

China Mobile clients in Singapore will now pay 0.99 yuan (15 cents) a minute to call the Chinese mainland, a 75 percent decrease from the previous 3.99 yuan a minute. Data traffic fees in Canada were cut by 80 percent to 0.01 yuan a kilobyte.