With the arrival of the 3G era, China's wireless Internet will experience explosive growth trends, according to the "23rd Statistics Report on the Condition of China's Internet Development" published by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on January 13.

While online job hunting, online shopping and other practical uses of the Internet are experiencing large scale increases, online music, online video streaming and other entertainment uses are declining. Internet in China is currently undergoing a transformation from being entertainment oriented towards being value oriented.

Internet surfing with mobile phones has gradually become the mainstream way to access the Internet and has quietly gained popularity. According to the report, in 2009, along with the granting of 3G licenses, Internet surfing with mobile phones will experience an even more rapid development.

The survey on major internet websites usage shows that online job hunting, blog updating and online shopping are the three top uses of the Internet with the fastest growth rates.

Statistics show that, by the end of 2008, the number of China's rural Internet users reached 84.6 million, an increase of 31.9 million from 2007 at a growth rate of over 60%, higher than that in urban areas.

Experts believe that, while the eastern and central regions have entered an ever mature stage in urban Internet construction, there is still a very strong demand for Internet access in rural areas and western regions, which would be an important driving force in China's future Internet development.

By People's Daily Online