China Mobile Ltd, the country's largest telecom operator, announced plans to invest a total of RMB 70 billion to enlarge the fixed and mobile communication networks in China's rural areas.

The state-owned firm had injected RMB 25.3 billion into the rural network project as of the end of 2009. It has helped more than 77,000 villages to obtain the telecommunications services, said Vice President Sha Yuejia.

In China's telecommunication market, more than 47% of the new mobile phone users are from China's rural areas, Sha added.

China Mobile announced on Monday that it increased 917,000 3G cell phone users in May, bringing the total number of 3G cell phone users to 9.32 million. The figure added in April was 713,000.

China United Network Communications Ltd<600050><0762>, the biggest rival of China Mobile, added 1.02 million 3G cell phone users last month, sources reported.