The China Mobile's Tibetan branch office recently launched its mobile service in the smallest village in China. The village, called Yumai in Lhunze County, has only 7 households with altogether 27 people. With the launching, the dream for local villagers to enjoy mobile service has finally come true, the People's Posts and Telecommunications News reported.

Yumai village is located in the northern slope of the Himalayas. Due to its complicated geographical features, transportation there is underdeveloped. Every year, the village will be blocked from the rest of the places in Tibet by heavy snowstorms. Ten years ago, there was only one household living in this village. The household contained three people, with the father Sang Qu Ba being the village Party Secretary, his elder daughter Zhuo Ga being the village governor and his youngest daughter Zong Yang being the only villager. The only one family lived in a village situated in the Sino-Indian border. The village is as large as the national territory of Mauritius. However, with only three people living there, it becomes a village that has the smallest population in China.

In recent years, the central and local governments have devoted great efforts to improving the transportation facilities and living conditions of Yumai Village. As a result, more people came to settle there, most of them from nearby villages. As more people came to live in the village, they hoped that one day, they could also enjoy telecommunication services just like people in other parts of China.

Setting up a telecommunication station in a sparsely-populated area can not generate much profit. However, the China Mobile's Tibetan branch office has made it a corporate goal that their telecommunication network will cover every part of Tibet, including the most isolated areas. Bearing this in mind, the company has overcome tremendous difficulties and finally managed to open the telecommunication service in the smallest village in China.

(Chinanews, December 7, 2007)