The line graph illustrates the number of people in China who used fixed telephone lines, mobile phones and the Internet between 1994 and 2005.
Overall, all three forms of communication experienced substantial growth over the period. While fixed telephone lines were the most widely used service at the beginning, mobile phones overtook them in the early 2000s and became the dominant technology by 2005. Meanwhile, Internet usage increased steadily but remained the least popular throughout.
In 1994, approximately 25 million people used fixed telephone lines, whereas mobile phones and the Internet had almost no users. Over the next few years, both fixed-line and mobile phone usage rose steadily, reaching around 150 million and 120 million users respectively by 1999. During the same period, Internet adoption grew more gradually to just over 100 million users.
From 2000 onwards, mobile phone usage surged dramatically. It surpassed fixed telephone lines in about 2002 and continued to climb sharply, reaching approximately 450 million users by 2005. In contrast, the number of fixed-line users increased at a slower pace, finishing at around 350 million. Internet usage also continued its upward trend, ending the period at roughly 200 million users.