China is not just the world's most populous country, it is also the third largest country by area.

With over a billion people residing in the China, how do you think the country will fare economically and socially if it does not have modern telecommunications facilities?

Telecom: The Basics

Before delving deeper into the details of China's telecom industry, let us first take a look at some of the industry basics.

Telecom is actually defined as the transmission of signals over a distance, and it is used mainly for communication purposes. As such, the role of telecom providers is to offer data services, phone services and entertainment services to consumers and businesses.

To have a deeper understanding of telecommunications in general, here are the types of services offered by telecom providers:

1. Mobile phone services

This is probably one of the most popular type of service subscribed to by the general consuming public, no matter which country it is that they come from. Through mobile phone services, you can make and receive calls using your mobile phone.

Depending on the model of the mobile phone that you have, you can also send text messages, e-mail messages, picture messages and a lot more.

2. Cable/satellite television services

For the most part, subscribers who have cable services typically get all their landline, Internet and cable TV services from one provider only.

On the other hand, satellite television services may also offer Internet services - but it is generally more expensive.

3. Internet Service Providers or ISP's

Another type of service which is much needed and required today, ISP's can offer either wireless, broadband or dial-up Internet services. With the proliferation of the Internet, it is not easier to make cheap calls and international calls using broadband connection or Voice over Internet Protocal or VoIP services.

What are Some of the Largest Telecom Providers in China?

Again China is the most populous country in the world - which pretty much increased the need for telecom providers to have sophisticated equipment, and world-class services.

But what does the telecom industry in China actually look like? Here, the government has monopoly of the telecom industry.

China Telecom and China Netcom are in the fixed-line business. In 2006, China Telecom ranked number 15 in the 50 largest telecom service providers in the world.

Meanwhile, the mobile telecom industry has the following companies participating:

- China Mobile
- China Unicom
- China Satcom
- China TieTong

The last two companies are generally smaller than China Mobile and China Unicom - but over the years, the government is slowly opening its doors to smaller and foreign telecom investors.

Despite the fact that the Chinese telecom industry is monopolized by the government, it is still a growing industry. In fact, China now lays claim to the fact that they have the world's largest mobile network and fixed-line network. This takes into consideration both the number of subscribers and the capacity of the network.

With such a huge and continually growing market, there is no doubt that the telecom industry in China will be a strong player in the years to come.