In this undated photo, customers use self-service checkout machines at Alibaba's Hema Fresh supermarket in Shanghai. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

BEIJING - China's internet companies reported steady growth in business revenue in the first quarter of this year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

In the January-March period, the business revenue of major internet and related services firms came in at 323.6 billion yuan (about $49 billion), up 1.4 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.

Business revenue from information services providers and online sales operators rose 7.1 percent and 8.5 percent respectively

Specifically, business revenue from information services providers and online sales operators rose 7.1 percent and 8.5 percent respectively, while companies offering personal services, such as tourism and car-hailing, saw business revenue fall mainly due to the resurgence of COVID-19.

The operating costs of these internet companies rose 4.4 percent from the same period a year earlier.

The sector's profits totaled 15.45 billion yuan in the first three months, logging a decline of 10.3 percent from a year ago.

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During the same period, the internet sector's spending on research and development increased 8.4 percent year on year to 17.75 billion yuan.