Internet community grows to 123m

The number of Internet users in China shot up once more but penetration is still low. State media reported that 123 million people are now online in China, 19.4% more than in June 2005. However, despite representing the second-largest online community in the world behind the US, the number is still only 9.4% of the population, "so there is still plenty of room to develop," said Wang Enhai, information services director for the China Internet Network Information Centre. The number of broadband users at the end of June hit 77 million, 45% above June 2005. Analysts said the increase in the number of broadband users bodes well for online services such as games and broadcasting, which require faster connection speeds.