TIANJIN - Mobile security firm NetQin Mobile Inc said on Monday that security demand for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers will see an explosive growth in China over the next few years.

Lin Yu, CEO and co-founder of NetQin, said China's mobile security market will account for over 35 percent of the overall Internet security market in the next three to five years, from the current 5 percent, as shipments of smartphones and tablet computers increase.

"It is a misconception that people always think computers security is more important than mobile devices," said Lin, a former professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Tianjin.

"The truth is shipment of mobile devices has far surpassed that of personal computers."

Lin said with the raise of intelligent portable devices, such as smarpthones and even smart home applications, the security demand for these devices will grow rapidly.

"Last year, over 200 million Chinese mobile phone users were impacted by a virus attack," said Lin.

He said attacks targeted at mobile devices in China will grow this year and will be much more than the last five years.

Established in October 2005, NetQin delivers mobile security tools through an Internet-based service, including anti-virus, anti-spam, privacy protection, data backup and restoration, and online virus scan, to 55 million users in more than  200 countries. Of them, about 5 percent are charged users, Lin said.

NetQin said it already has a 68 percent share of the mobile security market in China and provides anti-spamming services to China Mobile, the world's biggest cellphone carrier. The company also established partnerships with manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Huawei, Samsung, and Lenovo for preloading NetQin software on phones.

Lin said on Monday that the company aims to become the world's biggest mobile security firm and have been actively expanding in the International markets, including Southeast Asian nations, Europe and the United States.

International revenue contributed to about 40 percent of NetQin total revenue last year, according to the company.

Lin said the company's revenue has witnessed over 100 percent growth every year during the past few years and it has broken even in the fourth quarter of last year.