China Telecom Corporation, the country's biggest fixed line phone company, said its revenue, excluding amortisation of upfront connection fees, rose 6.4 per cent in the first nine months of 2005, fuelled by strong growth in its broadband internet business. It posted 121.68 billion yuan ($15.04 billion) in revenue during this period.

Including connection fees, its operating revenue was 126.78 billion yuan. The company posted 37.66 billion yuan in revenue for the three-month period to September, up 10.3 per cent from 34.14 billion yuan a year earlier. The company said the number of its core telephone access lines in service reached 206.86 million at the end of September, up from 202.4 million at the end of June.