Since last October, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd, the nation's second largest telecom carrier, has surpassed its domestic rivals in adding new third generation (3G) wireless network subscribers on a monthly basis.

According to its annual report released on March 22, China Unicom added some 26 million 3G wireless network subscribers in 2011, for a total of 40 million subscribers by the end of last year.

In its filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, China Unicom reported a net profit of 4.21 billion yuan ($668 million) in 2011, a 20 percent increase from the previous year.

The company reported revenues of 209.2 billion yuan ($33.2 billion), a 22.2 percent increase from 2010.

shenjingting@chinadaily.com.cn