Chinese telecom operators have invested 80 billion yuan in the first half of this year to build a third-generation (3G) services network, according to figures from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

But mobile users in the country have been slow to accept the new service, Chinese media said.

Zhu Jun, deputy director of the telecom development department under the MIIT, said yesterday that construction of the 3G network has been smooth in the world's largest mobile market.