China Unicom adds 2.92 mln 3G subscribers in April

BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- China Unicom Ltd., the country's second-largest mobile operator, added 2.92 million 3G subscribers last month, according to a statement on the company's website.

The company's total number of 3G subscribers has reached 51.78 million by the end of April, the statement said.

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

Shao Guanglu, vice general manager of China Unicom, said in early May that the company expects to see its 3G service revenue rise to 70 billion yuan (11.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012 from 40 billion yuan last year.

Shao also forecast that the operator's 3G subscriber base will reach 90 million by the end of 2012.

The carrier's 2G subscribers climbed to 160.97 million by the end of April, up 341,000 month-on-month, according to the statement.

The operator's Internet users with broadband access increased by 585,000 to reach 58.87 million by the end of April, while its fixed-line telephone users fell by 11,000 to 92.34 million, according to the statement.