The country's mobile Internet traffic is expecting massive growth, which will bring about an increase in network energy consumption, demanding the establishment of a highly efficient energy-saving network, Wu Hequan, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said Tuesday in Beijing at a conference.

A typical 3G base station consumes 4,500 kWh of energy per year, according to Wu.

The academician also added that many telecom operators have drawn up emission reductions goals.

China Mobile, the world's leading telecom provider by subscribers, plans to reduce energy consumption per unit by 40 percent in 2010.

China's mobile Internet market has gained strong momentum since the launch of commercial 3G wireless services last year.

"2010 marks a new starting point for China's Internet. We have experienced a transition from hardware to software to Internet over the past three decades, and the next 10 years will be a golden period for the development of mobile Internet," said Yu Yongfu, CEO of UC Mobile, a leading mobile Internet browser developer.

As of the end of June, the number of mobile netizens went up 18.6 percent compared to the end of 2009 to reach 277 million, 65.9 percent of the country's 420 million netizens, according to data from the China Internet Network Informa-tion Center.