CHINA TELECOM CORP POSTS BETTER THAN EXPECTED GROWTH IN SHANGHAI, 2003-07-16 (photo)

Shanghai residents talk on public telephones July 16, 2003. China's biggest fixed-line phone company China Telecom Corp Ltd on Wednesday posted better-than-expected subscriber growth for the year through May, adding 4.2 million fixed-line subscribers in the first five months of the year, which translates to an annualised rate of just over 10 million additions. China Telecom said the country's SARS outbreak also helped to boost its phone and broadband subscriber growth as people used their phones and PC's to stay in touch from their homes. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV CC/RCS