According to analyst house IDC, total IT spending in the country is projected to grow 16.4 percent to reach about US$46 billion in 2007.

The burgeoning economy puts China on the radar of all major tech vendors, consultancies and analyst firms. And with the upcoming Beijing Olympics in 2008, all eyes are on China as the country gears up to show the world that it has what it takes to host a mega sporting event

In this Insight China? special report, ZDNet Asia speaks with several industry analysts to gain insights into the Chinese business and consumer markets.

What's fueling corporate IT spending in China? What are Chinese consumers doing on the Internet?

Although currently ranked as the world's second largest broadband market after the United States, China is expected to take the top spot as early as the end of 2007, if not 2008.

However, Chinese operators will have to find new sources of revenue as the rate of broadband growth in China is slowing dramatically, according to Ovum's latest report. After a staggering 114 percent growth in 2004, China's broadband growth slowed in 2005 and 2006 to 57 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

"Ovum expects double-digit growth to continue for the next two years, but at lower rates than we have seen before," said Kevin Lee, an Ovum analyst based in Hong Kong.

Still, China's online population presents tremendous opportunities.

According to Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group (CMR), Chinese Internet users spend more time online than their U.S. counterparts. A Chinese Web surfer spends 18 hours on the Internet per week, compared to an American who spends about 12 hours.

While reading blogs is one of the most popular Internet activities, shopping is also gaining momentum, thanks to e-payment services such as Alibaba's Alipay, said Rein.

Read on for more on China's mobile market and open source adoption in China. And if you have any market insights or comments on the stories published here, drop me an e-mail to share your thoughts.

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