Marbridge Daily

China's Three Main Telcos Add Just 374K Mobile Subs in December 2021

Marbridge Consulting, 1/20/22

The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of December 2021, including a combined net increase of just 374,000 mobile subscribers in China, boosting their combined mobile subscriber base to over 1.646 bln. While the net increase in total mobile subs was relatively modest, the three operators continued to steadily migrate existing customers to 5G, adding a combined 26.85 mln 5G package subscribers during the month. As of the end of December, the three operators' combined 5G package subscriber base reached 729.54 mln, for a 5G penetration rate of 44.3%.

As of the end of December, 5G package subscribers accounted for 50.4%, 48.9%, and 40.4% of the total mobile subscriber bases of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile, respectively.

China Mobile

China Mobile (0941.HK; 600941.SH) reported a net gain of 0.11 mln mobile subscribers during the month, raising the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 956.89 mln. Of this total, 822.39 mln were 4G subscribers and 386.81 mln were 5G package customers, representing net increases of 3.13 mln and 12.42 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 saw a net loss of 0.46 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in December, reducing its total fixed-line broadband user base to 240.11 mln. The decline marked the first month in which China Mobile has suffered a monthly net loss in fixed-line broadband subs since December 2019.

China Telecom

China Telecom (0728.HK; 601728.SH) saw a net increase of 0.49 mln mobile subscribers in December, raising its total to 372.43 mln, of which 187.80 mln were 5G package subscribers. During the month, the operator's 5G package subscriber base rose by 9.04 mln subs.

China Telecom lost 0.16 mln fixed-line telephone subs in December, reducing its total to 106.64 mln.

China Telecom added 0.39 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) during the month, increasing its total to 169.71 mln.

China Unicom

China Unicom (0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported a net loss of 0.23 mln mobile billing subscribers, decreasing its total mobile billing user base to 317.12 mln. Of the total, 154.93 mln were 5G package subscribers, with a net addition of 5.38 mln 5G package subs during the month.

China Unicom gained 0.14 mln fixed-line telephone subscribers in December, raising its total to 47.19 mln.

The operator added 0.21 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) in December, boosting its total to 95.05 mln.

User Base Market Share by Operator

China Mobile's share of the nation's total mobile subscriber base as of the end of December 2021 shrank further to 58.12%, compared to 58.13% at the end of November 2021 and 58.92% at the end of December 2020. China Telecom's share grew to 22.62%, up from 22.60% at the end of November 2021 and 21.96% at the end of December 2020, and China Unicom's share fell to 19.26%, down from 19.28% at the end of November 2021, but up from 19.13% at the end of December 2020.

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

Keywords: wireless national statistics China Telecom China Mobile China Unicom fixed-line broadband penetration telecom 4G market share mobile subscribers 5G broadband subscribers 0728.HK 0762.HK 0941.HK 600050.SH 601728.SH fixed-line subscribers; 600941.SH