Chinese firm says its 3G subscribers top 36 mn

China Unicom Ltd., the country's second-largest mobile operator, said on Tuesday that its 3G subscribers rose to 36.53 million by the end of November, up 3.38 million from one month earlier.

The carrier's 2G subscribers climbed to around 160 million by the end of November, the company said in a statement filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The operator's Internet users with broadband access increased by 484,000 to 55.53 million last month, while its fixed-line telephone users fell by 593,000 to 93.7 million, Xinhua cited the statement as saying.

The carrier had 14.06 million 3G subscribers by the end of 2010 and is targeting a rise of 25 million 3G subscribers this year. A sharp increase in the number of new 3G subscribers during the first 11 months makes the target within reach, analysts said.

However, the operator's profit margin failed to rise alongside the increase in subscribers. Net profit margin fell to 2.59 percent during the first three quarters of 2011, down from 3.19 percent in the same period last year.