About 80 percent of eligible SZ residents have had 100 yuan (US$15) credited to their mobile phone accounts, a gift from the city government to mark the 30th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.
The gift distribution started last Wednesday and would be finished by mid-December, an unidentified official with the city's industry and trade commission told Wednesday's Daily Sunshine.
Residents were informed of the gift via a text message sent by telecom operators.
"It took a long time to process the large number of applications," the official said.
Residents who do not receive the credits can call 12345, the city government's hotline, to check their status.
The city government had previously planned to distribute a total of 15 million prepaid phone cards to residents, including hukou holders and those who applied for residence cards before Aug. 31. The phone card application promotion ran from Sept. 9 to 20. The government later decided to top up residents' mobile phone accounts directly.
(Tina Chen)
