BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- China Unicom, one of the country's largest telecom operators, said in a report that its 4G users reached 264 million in August, up 1.58 million from July.

The number of its fixed-line broadband subscribers saw a net increase of 171,000 to 85.8 million last month.

In the face of challenges such as a highly saturated and competitive market and the novel coronavirus epidemic, the operator strengthened differentiated and internet-based operations, controlled costs and weeded out ineffective products and channels, according to the report.

The company estimated its 5G base stations would reach 300,000 by the end of this year.