BEIJING — China's telecommunications industry reported steady growth in the first half of this year, official data showed.

The combined revenue of the sector reached 692.7 billion yuan (about $99.1 billion) during the period, up 3.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Revenue from fixed-line communications of the three telecom giants — China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom — totaled 236.3 billion yuan in the period, rising 12 percent year-on-year.

Their revenue from data and internet business, mainstay of the increase in the sector's business revenue, saw stable growth during the period, said the MIIT.

The steady growth in the sector's business revenue indicated that China's economic recovery and the development of new applications and new business models are gaining momentum, said Huang Libin, spokesperson with the ministry.