China’s three state-run mobile operators continued to rapidly convert 3G users over to their more efficient LTE networks, adding 28.5 million 4G users in August.

The country now has 651 million 4G subscribers, representing half of its 1.31 billion total mobile subscribers.

Market leader China Mobile, with 466.6 million 4G subscribers, added 17.9 million in August, which was down from more than 20 million adds the previous month. After losing nearly three million 3G users in August, the operator now has only 124 million 3G subs. A year ago it had 215 million 3G users.

China Telecom broke through the 100 million 4G milestone last month after adding 5.6 million 4G subs in August. It averaged 5.2 million new 4G users a month in the first half of the year, but over the past two months the pace has increased.

China Unicom, with a 12.7 per cent share of the country’s 4G user base, added five million 4G users in August, taking its total to 82.8 million. It is averaging 4.8 million new 4G users a month this year. Although only the country’s third largest 4G operator, its total number of mobile subscribers makes it China’s overall number two player.