Sohu's mobile traffic nears PC volumes

Sohu.com Inc, the Chinese Web portal operator, has said the number of its daily users on mobile phones is now "close" to that on personal computers, as an increasing large number of people access the Internet via mobile devices.

Fang Gang, Sohu's product vice-president, said starting next year it will start generating revenues form its mobile services through games, searches, and its news services.

Mobile phones have become the most widely used devices to access the Internet, according to the quasi-official China Internet Network Information Center.

By the end of June, the number of Chinese people surfing the Internet via mobile device had increased to a record 388 million.

However, few Internet companies have generated considerable revenues from mobile devices despite the surge in traffic, including the biggest names in the industry such as Baidu Inc, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

This year, Sohu has spent "more than 100 million yuan" ($16 million) on the mobile sector, said Fang.