China Mobile is the latest of the region's telecoms operators to headquarter its Europe and Africa business in London.

With 369 million subscribers at the end of last year, the firm is the world's largest by customer base. But it is not the first to use the UK capital as a base for regional operations . China Netcom, the region's second-largest telecoms company, made a similar move November. And China Telecom started the trend in 2004.

China Mobile chief representative Henry Ge said: "London is the best place for us to be as it is at the heart of technology convergence in Europe, and offers us access to the technical capability and expert talent we need in order to grow our business."
The plan is being welcomed by the UK government's minister for trade and investment, Lord Digby Jones.

"The UK is a stepping stone to the rest of the world. We provide a base from which to access, not just European, but those markets around the world," he said.

"I am really delighted that China Mobile has been convinced of the advantages of the UK. We are a competitive, deregulated market with a highly-skilled workforce."