时事资讯:中国网民人数达到3.38亿

【英文原文】

摘要：中国互联网络信息中心(CNNIC)最新发布的报告显示，截至6月30日，中国网民总人数达到3.38亿人，较2008年底增长13.4%。该中心是中国政府下属的一家互联网研究机构。

The total number of China’s Internet users reached 338 million as of June 30, representing a 13.4% increase from the end of 2008, according to the latest report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), a government-affiliated Web research organization. (The full report in Chinese is here in pdf format). 中国互联网络信息中心

Some other highlights from the report:

As much as 94% of the Internet population─about 320 million people─ use broadband connections to access the Web. However, broadband Internet speeds lag far behind more developed countries.

Over 80% of Internet users surf the Web at home. The number of people going Internet cafes decrease by 7% since end of 2008. Only 5% of the Internet population accesses the Internet from the workplace.

The Internet penetration rate reached 25.5% as of June 30, up from 22.6% at the end of last year. While this puts China above the global average of around 24%, China’s Internet penetration rate remains low compared to developed countries (the U.S., for example, has a penetration rate of around 75%).

The number of people who surf the Web on their mobile phones hit 155 million, representing 46% of the overall Internet population. The number of mobile Internet users is likely to see further growth in the coming years with the launch of the third-generation (3G) mobile phone networks in China, CNNIC said.

By June 2008, China had passed the United States to become the world’s largest Internet market by number of users. But with the total number of Web users in China reaching a critical mass, the rate of growth has slowed a bit. Liu Bing, director of CNNIC’s research and development department, forecast a 6% to 7% yearly increase in China’s online penetration rate in the coming years.

The report also notes that the global economic slowdown does not seem to be having a big impact on China’s Internet, but that Internet safety remains a major obstacle to the substantial development of the China’s online market.