Another 10 million users had access to the broadband Internet in China in the first half of the year, adding the total to 93.5 million, data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has shown.

China had 338 million Internet users by the end of June, up 40 million from the end of last year, according to a report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) in the mid-July.

More than 90 percent, or 1,734 of China's administrative villages had access to the Internet by early June, said the MIIT data.

About 95 percent of townships were connected to broadband, and 92.5 percent of natural villages had telephone coverage.

China's vast rural areas are regarded as the next front for telecommunication development. The top three telecommunication operators—China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom are expected to invest 280 billion yuan to improve 3G network in between 2009-2010, said vice president Lu Xiangdong of China Mobile Wednesday at an industry meeting.

Most Chinese netizens used the Internet for news, entertainment and social networking. Online shopping was gaining popularity as the number of shoppers jumped by 14 million in six months to 87.9 million by June.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2009)