Marbridge Daily

China's Three Main Telcos Add 5.8 Mln 5G Subs in April 2024

Marbridge Consulting, 5/20/24

The listed arms of China's three main telecom operators have announced their subscriber totals for the month of April 2024, including a combined net increase of approximately 5.83 mln 5G package subscribers in China, boosting their combined 5G package subscriber base to nearly 1.402 bln. As of the end of April, 5G package subscribers accounted for 80.2% and 80.1% of China Telecom's and China Mobile's total mobile subscriber bases, respectively.

China Mobile

China Mobile (0941.HK; 600941.SH) reported a net gain of 1.74 mln mobile subscribers during the month, increasing the telecom operator's total mobile user base to 997.36 mln. China Mobile's 5G package subscriber base saw a net increase of 0.64 mln in April to reach 799.18 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's total number of fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) rose to 306.40 mln in April, up 1.33 mln month-on-month and up 8.16 mln since the end of 2023.

China Telecom

China Telecom (0728.HK; 601728.SH) saw a net increase of 1.80 mln mobile subscribers in April, raising its total to 413.45 mln, of which 331.62 mln were 5G package subscribers. During the month, the operator's 5G user base rose by 2.90 mln subscribers.

China Telecom lost 0.45 mln fixed-line telephone subs in April, reducing its total to 99.81 mln.

China Telecom reported a net increase of 0.08 mln fixed-line broadband subscribers (registered accounts) during the month, raising its total to 192.30 mln.

China Unicom

China Unicom (0762.HK; 600050.SH) reported that as of the end of April 2024, its aggregate number of "Big Connectivity" subscribers reached nearly 1.041 bln, up 12.82 mln month-on-month. 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, 271.15 mln were 5G package subscribers, representing a net gain of 2.29 mln month-on-month; and 540.46 mln were Internet-of-things terminal connections, up 11.95 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 10,560, up 530 month-on-month.

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

China's fourth 5G telecom network operator, China Broadnet, saw its 5G user base surpass 23 mln by the end of 2023, according to statistics published on February 20 by China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA). On May 8, NRTA also published its "2023 National Radio and Television Industry Statistics Report", providing the same 2023-year-end figure (i.e. 23 mln 5G subs for China Broadnet), but has not issued any more recent update to China Broadnet's 5G subscriber total.

Broadnet officially launched 5G network services just 23 months ago, on June 27, 2022. Because Broadnet is not yet reporting its 5G subscriber totals on a regular, monthly basis, Marbridge is not yet integrating its totals with those of China's three more established telecom operators above.

Keywords: national statistics wireless 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 National Radio and Television Administration Broadnet fixed-line subscribers