Marbridge Daily

China's Three Main Telcos Add 21 Mln 5G Subs in April 2022

Marbridge Consulting, 5/20/22

The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of April 2022, including a combined net increase of approximately 21.16 mln 5G package subscribers in China, boosting their combined 5G package subscriber base to over 869 mln. As of the end of April, 5G package subscribers accounted for 57.2% and 49.3% of the total mobile subscriber bases of China Telecom and China Mobile, respectively.

China Mobile

China Mobile (0941.HK; 600941.SH) reported a net loss of 0.24 mln mobile subscribers during the month, reducing the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 966.40 mln. China Mobile increased its 5G package subscriber base by 10.37 mln to reach a total of 476.92 mln.

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 saw a net gain of 2.17 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in April, raising its total fixed-line broadband user base to 251.26 mln.

China Telecom

China Telecom (0728.HK; 601728.SH) saw a net increase of 0.78 mln mobile subscribers in April, raising its total to 380.32 mln, of which 217.43 mln were 5G package subscribers. During the month, the operator's 5G package subscriber base rose by 6.68 mln subs.

China Telecom lost 0.04 mln fixed-line telephone subs in April, decreasing its total to 106.48 mln.

China Telecom added 0.78 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) during the month, increasing its total to 173.89 mln.

China Unicom

China Unicom (0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported that as of the end of April 2022, its aggregate number of "Big Connectivity" subscribers reached 786.56 mln. China Unicom's "Big Connectivity" category is comprised of the operator's combined total aggregate mobile billing subscribers, fixed-line telephone subscribers, fixed-line broadband subscribers, Internet-of-things terminal connections, and networking leased line subscribers. Of this total, 174.77 mln were 5G package subscribers, representing a net gain of 4.11 mln 5G package subscribers during the month, and 320.01 mln were Internet-of-things terminal connections, up 7.42 mln month-on-month.

China Unicom also reported that its number of customers served by virtual 5G industry private network for the month of April was 1,552, up 131 month-on-month. A virtual 5G industry private network is a high-quality private network based on the public 5G network provided to industry customers to satisfy their business and security needs. It is a core carrier for offering differentiated and partially self-operated network services. Virtual 5G industry private network is a key metric in the government's "5G Applications 'Sailing' Action Plan (2021-2023)" and, explains China Unicom, has become a new engine for driving 5G application innovation, enhancing productivity and accelerating digital transformation in vertical industries.

Mobile Subscriber Stats for China's Three Main Carriers (Unit: Mln)

Keywords: national statistics China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom fixed-line Internet broadband telecom mobile subscribers 5G broadband subscribers 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH 601728.SH 600941.SH telecom operator