Sales of Wi-Fi phones in China will grow rapidly to meet demand for mobile Internet which offers data-rich services like video call and film download, the Wi-Fi Alliance said yesterday.

Consumers in the country bought 6.6 million units of Wi-Fi-enabled phones in 2009. Sales of these phones are expected to grow 95 percent annually within the next five years, said Edgar Figueroa, Wi-Fi Alliance's chief executive, citing data from research firm In-Stat. China's total mobile phone sales hit 80 million units last year, according to CCID, an IT consulting firm.

Globally speaking, of the around 580 million Wi-Fi devices shipped in 2009, 141 million were handsets. Global sales of Wi-Fi handsets will grow by fourfold to more than 500 million units in 2014, with 90 percent of smartphones incorporating Wi-Fi, according to ABI Research.

"Carriers and manufacturers have recognized Wi-Fi as a reliable and high-performance technology, with improved coverage and great multimedia performance," said Figueroa.

Wi-Fi, which provides users wireless connection where an Internet network is available, is widely used in laptops and some consumer electronic devices. Customers can use Wi-Fi services for free in public places.

Previously, phones sold in China were not allowed to incorporate Wi-Fi functions. But it is now slowly changing as Motorola Inc and Nokia Corp have launched models with Wi-Fi functions.