China Unicom (CHU) says that due to the earthquake, its G net and C net in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province have both broken.

About 200 base stations of the company's G net and C net in the Aba area of Sichuan have reportedly been paralyzed. And because of busy traffic, the company's two networks in Chengdu have been congested, thus resulting in a slowdown of SMS communications.

As a result of the earthquake, the communications of four counties in south Gansu Province have also been interrupted and about 500 base stations in Shaanxi Province halted.

China Unicom says it has initiated an emergency plan and sent technicians to the disaster areas to recover the communications. There is no firm timeline on when the systems will be fully operational again.