China's Three Main Telcos Add 59 Mln 5G Subs in March 2023
Marbridge Consulting, 4/20/23
The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of March 2023, including a combined net increase of approximately 59.18 mln 5G package subscribers in China, boosting their combined 5G package subscriber base to over 1.196 bln. As of the end of March, 5G package subscribers accounted for 71.0% and 70.1% of the total mobile subscriber bases of China Telecom and China Mobile, respectively.
China Mobile
China Mobile (0941.HK; 600941.SH) reported a net gain of 4.11 mln mobile subscribers during the month, raising the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 982.76 mln. China Mobile increased its 5G package subscriber base by 50.10 mln to reach a total of 689.24 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 3.25 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in March, raising its total fixed-line broadband user base to 280.89 mln.
China Telecom
China Telecom (0728.HK; 601728.SH) saw a net increase of 2.99 mln mobile subscribers in March, raising its total to 398.70 mln, of which 283.21 mln were 5G terminal users. During the month, the operator's 5G user base rose by 5.03 mln subscribers.
China Telecom lost 0.30 mln fixed-line telephone subs in March, reducing its total to 104.04 mln.
China Telecom reported an increase of 1.12 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) during the month, boosting its total to 184.00 mln.
China Unicom
China Unicom (0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported that as of the end of March 2023, its aggregate number of "Big Connectivity" subscribers reached 899.81 mln, up 12.48 mln month-on-month and 38.07 mln since the end of 2022. 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, 223.81 mln were 5G package subscribers, representing a net gain of 4.05 mln month-on-month and 11.08 mln since the end of 2022 , and 415.72 mln were Internet-of-things terminal connections, up 9.16 mln month-on-month and 30.18 mln since the end of 2022.
China Unicom also reported that its number of customers served by virtual 5G industry private network for the month of March was 4,562, up 334 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)."
Mobile Subscriber Stats for China's Three Main Carriers (Unit: Mln)
Operator | March 2023 Month-end Total | % of Combined Installed 5G Sub Base | March 2023 Net Change | Net Change Since Prior Year-End |
---|---|---|---|---|
China Mobile | 982.76 | 4.11 | 7.75 | |
5G Package Subs | 689.24 | 57.62% | 50.10 | 75.23 |
China Telecom | 398.70 | 2.99 | 7.52 | |
5G Package Subs | 283.21 | 23.67% | 5.03 | 15.25 |
China Unicom | ||||
5G Package Subs | 223.81 | 18.71% | 4.05 | 11.08 |
Keywords: wireless 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 fixed-line subscribers