China's Three Main Telcos Add Just 3.5 Mln Mobile Subs in May 2019
Marbridge Consulting, 6/20/19
The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of May 2019, including a combined net addition of 3.48 mln mobile subscribers in China to reach a combined mobile subscriber base of almost 1.578 bln. The May figure represents the lowest net addition of mobile subs in China since December 2016.
During the month of May 2019, China's three main operators reported a combined net addition of 11.20 mln 4G subscribers (most of which were simply existing 2G or 3G subs who upgraded to 4G) to reach a total combined 4G subscriber base of approximately 1.227 bln. 4G penetration among mobile subscribers hit approximately 77.8%.
China Mobile (NYSE: CHL; 0941.HK) reported a net addition of 0.52 mln new mobile subscribers in May, pushing the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 932.08 mln. Of the total, 727.59 mln subscribers used its 4G networks during the month. China Mobile saw a net gain of 4.99 mln 4G subs in May. China Mobile added 3.96 mln new fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in May, increasing its total fixed-line broadband user base to 172.77 mln.
China Unicom (NYSE: CHU; 0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported a net addition of 0.06 mln mobile billing subscribers during the month of May 2019, inching the telecom operator's total mobile billing user base up to 324.33 mln. Of the total, 235.91 mln were 4G subscribers, with a net addition of 2.86 mln LTE subs during the month. China Unicom lost 0.18 mln fixed-line telephone subscribers in May, dropping its total to 54.47 mln. The operator added 0.43 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in May, increasing its total to 83.17 mln.
China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) saw a net increase of 2.90 mln mobile subscribers in May, raising its total to 321.46 mln, of which 263.52 mln were 4G terminal users, with a net increase of 3.35 mln 4G terminal users in May. China Telecom lost 0.56 mln fixed-line telephone subs in May, reducing its total to 114.08 mln. China Telecom gained 0.83 mln new fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) to reach 149.32 mln (if also including the fixed-line broadband subscribers of China Telecom's (i.e. China Telecom Corporation Limited's) parent company, China Telecommunications Corporation ("CTC"), as of the end of May 2019, the aggregate number of fixed-line broadband subscribers of China Telecom and CTC was 176 mln.
China Mobile's share of China's total mobile subscriber base as of the end of May 2019 decreased to 59.07%, compared to 59.17% at the end of April 2019 and 61.04% at the end of May 2018. China Unicom's share took a step backward to 20.55%, compared to 20.60% at the end of April 2019 and 20.27% at the end of May 2018, and China Telecom's share grew to 20.37%, up from 20.23% at the end of April 2019 and 18.69% at the end of May 2018.
Mobile Subscriber Stats for China's Main Three Carriers (Unit: Mln)
Operator | May 2019 Net Add | May 2019 Month-end Total | % of Combined Installed Sub Base | % of Combined Installed 4G Sub Base |
---|---|---|---|---|
China Mobile | 0.52 | 932.08 | 59.07% | |
4G Subs | 4.99 | 727.59 | 59.30% | |
China Unicom | 0.06 | 324.33 | 20.55% | |
4G Subs | 2.86 | 235.91 | 19.23% | |
China Telecom | 2.90 | 321.46 | 20.37% | |
4G Subs | 3.35 | 263.52 | 21.48% |
Keywords: national statistics wireless China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom fixed-line broadband penetration telecom 4G China Telecom Corporation Limited mobile subscribers 3G broadband subscribers CHL 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH CHA CHU fixed-line subscribers market share