A young pedicab driver cycles past a giant poster

BEIJING, CHINA: A young pedicab driver cycles past a giant poster advertising an international company's latest mobile phone 13 July 1999 in downtown Beijing. Competition has heated up between European and US firms to expand their shares in the global mobile phone market in China, which has seen a dramatic increase in users over the last year. No longer used by only the country's priviledged, mobile phones have seen a huge jump in ownership demographics as young trendy Chinese are experiencing more buying power, along with a new found social status in an increasingly open society. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/Stephen SHAVER (Photo credit should read STEPHEN SHAVER/AFP via Getty Images)