China's Three Main Telcos Add 2.8 Mln Mobile Subs in June 2020
Marbridge Consulting, 7/20/20
The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of June 2020, including a combined net gain of roughly 2.81 mln mobile subscribers in China, boosting their combined mobile subscriber base to nearly 1.600 bln.
As of the end of June 2020, the 5G subscriber totals of China Mobile and China Telecom reached 70.20 mln and 37.84 mln, respectively. China Unicom included 5G subscribers in its mobile subscriber total for the month, but did not break out a 5G subscriber figure.
China Mobile
China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) reported a net decrease of 0.24 mln mobile subscribers, reducing the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 946.74 mln. Of this total, 759.72 mln were 4G subscribers and 70.20 mln were 5G subscribers, representing net increases of 2.18 mln and 14.59 mln, respectively, compared to the previous month.
China Mobile defines a 5G package customer as a mobile customer who has subscribed to 5G tariff plans. Customers sharing 5G tariff plans without subscription are not included in the operator's 5G subscriber totals.
China Mobile added 1.92 mln new fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in June, increasing its total fixed-line broadband user base to 197.12 mln.
China Telecom
China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) saw a net increase of 2.27 mln mobile subscribers in June, raising its total to 343.47 mln, of which 37.84 mln were 5G package subscribers, with a net increase of 7.79 mln 5G package subscribers in June. Starting from January 2020, to align with the company's mobile business development strategy, the company started disclosing 5G package subscriber figures, but stopped disclosing 4G subscriber figures.
China Telecom lost 0.33 mln fixed-line telephone subs in June, reducing its total to 109.10 mln.
China Telecom added 0.79 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) during the month, increasing its total to 154.14 mln.
China Unicom
China Unicom (NYSE: CHU; 0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported a net gain of 0.78 mln mobile billing subscribers during the month of June, increasing its total mobile billing user base to 309.53 mln. Of the total, 260.74 mln were 4G subscribers, with a net addition of 2.50 mln LTE subs during the month.
China Unicom lost 0.63 mln fixed-line telephone subscribers in June, dropping its total to 52.12 mln.
The operator gained 0.34 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in June, raising its total to 85.88 mln.
User Base Market Share by Operator
China Mobile's share of the nation's total mobile subscriber base as of the end of June 2020 fell to 59.18%, down from 59.30% at the end of May 2020, but increased compared to 59.07% at the end of June 2019. China Telecom's share grew to 21.47%, up from 21.37% at the end of May 2020 and 20.44% at the end of June 2019, and China Unicom's share recovered slightly to 19.35%, compared to 19.33% at the end of May 2020 and but was still down from 20.49% at the end of June 2019.
Mobile Subscriber Stats for China's Three Main Carriers (Unit: Mln)
Operator | June 2020 Net Change | June 2020 Month-end Total | % of Combined Installed Sub Base | Increase Since End of 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|
China Mobile | -0.24 | 946.74 | 59.18% | -3.54 |
5G Subs | 14.59 | 70.20 | 67.65 | |
China Telecom | 2.27 | 343.47 | 21.47% | 7.90 |
5G Subs | 7.79 | 37.84 | 33.23 | |
China Unicom | 0.78 | 309.53 | 19.35% | -8.95 |
5G Subs | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Keywords: wireless China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom fixed-line broadband telecom 4G market share mobile subscribers 5G broadband subscribers 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH CHA CHU fixed-line subscribers registered users