Tibet's Internet users reach 2.03m

The number of Internet users in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region reached 2.03 million at the end of 2013, a local official said Friday. This means 67.5 percent of Tibet's 3 million population have access to the Internet, according to Qunggyi, head of the Tibet Communications Administration. Many of Tibet's Internet users are surfing the network through their smartphones. So far the number of 3G network subscribers in Tibet has reached 964,000. The new-generation 4G network will be promoted in 2014, he said. So far 665 townships of the plateau region have been connected with optical cables, covering 97.5 percent of all townships. As many as 3,231 villages have access to broadband Internet, covering 61.4 percent of the total number of villages, according to the bureau. Tibetans have also enjoyed the convenience the Internet offers. On last year's Singles Day (Nov. 11) shopping spree at China's largest online purchasing platform Taobao, Tibetans spent more than 47 million yuan (7.7 million U.S. dollars), almost double that of 2012, according to taobao.com, a key sales platform under Alibaba.