China Telecom profit increases 17 percent in 2013

Number of customers signing up for 3G Internet services skyrocket

China Telecom Corp Ltd, the nation's smallest mobile network carrier by subscribers, posted a 17.4 percent rise in net profit for 2013 as it gained subscribers of its third-generation (3G) services.

Profit rose to 17.5 billion yuan ($2.85 billion), China Telecom said at a news conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Operating revenues rose to a record 321.6 billion yuan, an annual 13.6 percent increase.