China Mobile First-Half Profit Inches Higher

China Mobile CHL, China's largest mobile phone carrier, said its firs-half profit increased by 4.2% to $8.4 billion as revenue surged almost 8% to $33.6 billion. The company said increased demand for mobile Internet services helped it post a higher profit and that it added 31.8 million new customers in the first half, bringing its subscriber base to 554 million. The company said its mobile Internet shopping service, Mobile Market, launched in August 2009, has signed up 5 million customers and the number was growing at a 60% annual rate, according to the Associated Press. China Mobile is focusing more on mobile Internet services to drive profit growth and the company said that plan is starting to pay off.