The use of mobile Internet is expected to rise further in China's market in 2013, the US-based market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) announced Tuesday as one of its chief predictions for China's technology sector at large.

In addition to growing popularity of mobile devices for personal use, mobile Internet access should see rapid adoption in corporate environments over the next year, Wu Lianfeng, associate vice president of IDC China, said Tuesday at a Beijing media briefing where he revealed the research firm's predictions.

Mobile devices - and smartphones in particular - have increasingly reached Chinese consumers since the country ushered in the 3G era in 2009.

In 2013, shipments of smartphones in China will grow 44 percent year-on-year to 300 million, while smartphone users will total more than 500 million, according to the latest IDC estimate.

But the research firm also noted that smartphone competition will likely heat up more in 2013 as telecom carriers introduce super-budget smartphones for under 500 yuan ($80.20).

Samsung and Apple, the current global market leaders, will probably keep their edge in the Chinese market in 2013, while some of the big homegrown handset makers are likely to take a firmer foothold, according to IDC.

Some consultancy firms, however, were more bullish on the rise of homegrown Chinese smartphone companies, pointing to rising domestic competition.

China's Lenovo is poised to edge out Samsung as China's top smartphone manufacturer in 2013, Gartner Inc, another US research firm, predicted in November, citing reasons that include the Chinese tech giant's household brand recognition and reasonable pricing.

In an attempt to allay market fears that it may be losing cachet in China's market, Apple Inc's CEO Tim Cook released a statement Monday revealing that sales of the iPhone 5 hit more than 2 million in China, just three days after the gadget debuted in the nation, setting a new iPhone record.