China: December 24, 2002

Archives

China has become the world's largest cell phone market, with some 200 million users (spending $24 billion a year.) This has proved to be a military and intelligence nightmare for the government. Cell phones grew in popularity because the old government controlled phone company could never lay lines or install phones fast enough for the growing market. Cell phones were seen as a quick and inexpensive way to get a lot of phone service available quickly. But the government cannot monitor cell phones as easily as they could the older land line phones. Also, cell phones are easier to disrupt, or listen in on, using electronic warfare and electronic surveillance technology. 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close