MOSCOW — The number of cellular telecommunications users will soar by 38 percent to 100m people in Russia in 2005, telecommunications minister Leonid Reyman has said at a meeting held to consider the telecommunications industry's overall performance in 2004. He observed that by late 2004, the number of cellular telecommunication subscribers had grown by at least 50 percent to 72m people. Currently, over 80m people are taking advantage of cellular communication.

Reyman also said that the number of Internet users increased by 52 percent to 18.5m people in 2004. Every other Moscow resident uses the Internet, he noted. The minister also stated that the number of personal home computers grew by 15 percent to above 15m in 2004.