China Mobile added 70 million 5G network subscribers year-on-year to end-September with 622 million.

Both China Telecom and China Unicom switched in March to disclosing network subscribers (from the much higher ‘package subscriber’ figures), making year-on-year comparisons impossible. From the beginning of the year to end-September, China Telecom’s 5G network users increased by 26.3 million to 292.4 million, while China Unicom’s rose by 21.5 million to 225.2 million.

Despite not including Q4 2024 figures for the two, the three operators signed up a combined total of 117.8 million new 5G network subscribers over the past 12 months.

China Broadnet, which introduced 5G in 2022, hasn’t released Q3 numbers. It ended June with 33.7 million, after adding 8.5 million from end-September 2024, data from China’s National Radio and Television Administration showed.

Q3 earnings
China Telecom and China Unicom registered 5 per cent net profit growth to CNY30.8 billion ($4.3 billion) and CNY20 billion, respectively, while the market leader’s was up 4 per cent to CNY115.5 billion.

Operating revenue across the board was flat.

China Mobile was the only operator to disclose mobile ARPU, which slipped 3 per cent to CNY48. Its average monthly data usage increased 8.1 per cent to 17GB. Service revenue was flat at CNY683.1 billion; product sales declined 1.7 per cent to CNY111.5 billion.

China Unicom now reports only integrated package ARPU, which it said remained above CNY100. Both service revenue and product sales were stable at CNY261.6 billion and CNY31.3 billion, respectively.

China Telecom’s 5G penetration reached 70 per cent, with average consumption per month up 11.4 per cent to 22.3GB.

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CMI’s MVNO offering, called CMLink, will be hosted on Maxis’ nationwide mobile and fibre networks. It will target the Chinese community living in the country. Key features include one card, multiple numbers and China-Malaysia data sharing services.

The companies forged the partnership at the China Mobile SEA Cooperation Conference in Kuala Lumpur last week.

A year ago, Maxis signed an agreement with CMI with the aim to accelerate 5G initiatives.

Maxis is the second-largest mobile player in Malaysia, with 11.5 million connections at end-June, data from GSMA Intelligence showed. CelcomDigi is the market leader with 20.3 million connections.

In one of a number of similar agreements expanding its reach, CMI moved into the UK market in 2017 when it agreed to use EE’s network for the service.

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The total 5G deployments accounted for 35.3 per cent of all base stations in the country.

Operators ended 2024 with more than 6 million LTE base stations.

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile player by subscribers, plans to add 340,000 5G base stations this year, increasing its count to 2.8 million.

The country closed March with nearly 1.1 billion 5G network subscribers, with China Mobile alone adding 90 million year-on-year in Q1 for a total of 578 million.

The global 5G base station count is estimated at about 10 million.

India had about 470,000 5G base stations at end-February, the Ministry of Communications reported. The country’s 5G subscribers totalled 290 million at end-2024.

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel started rolling out 5G services in October 2022.

Chinese operators launched 5G services in late 2019.

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Speaking on the topic of AI+ Leading the Emergence of Carbon-Silicon-Based Symbiotic Innovation, Yang explained a new generation of IT advances is rapidly transforming the economy and society from a range of directions. “The efficiency of the AI economy will leap. This is going to unleash a new dividend for societal development.”

He added AI is already serving as a strategic driver for a technological revolution as well as industrial transformation in an unprecedented way and at an unprecedented pace.

Yang believes it is just a matter of time before silicon-based hardware, such as sensors, processors and controllers, outnumber humans.

“China Mobile looks forward to collaborating with global industry partners to achieve carbon-silicon symbiosis and promote cross-industry knowledge sharing to build a collaborative ecosystem,” he said.

The world’s largest mobile player by subscribers also committed to upholding the principles of AI for good and building new governance principles.

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China Telecom and China Unicom disclosed their network numbers in the quarter, previously releasing package subscriber figures.

China Telecom reported 266.2 million 5G network subscribers, with its website no longer showing package subs – those with 5G plans but not compatible devices. Total mobile users increased 4.3 per cent to 429.5 million.

China Unicom ended the quarter with 203.8 million 5G network subs. A year ago it reported 268.9 million 5G package subs.

Earnings
China Mobile’s operating revenue was flat at CNY222.4 billion ($2.6 billion), while China Telecom’s sales were also unchanged at CNY135.5 billion.

Both reported roughly 3 per cent growth in net profit: CNY30.6 billion for China Mobile and CNY8.9 billion for China Telecom.

China Mobile’s telecoms services revenue inched up 1.4 per cent to CNY222.4 billion.

Its overall mobile subscriber base dipped marginally to 1 billion.

ARPU improved 3.5 per cent to CNY46.90. Average data consumption slipped from 16.6GB to 16.1GB.

China Unicom’s operating revenue increased 3.9 per cent to CNY103.4 billion, with service revenue edging up 2 per cent to CNY90.9 billion. Sales of telecom products grew 19.3 per cent to CNY12.5 billion.

Its net profit increased 5.6 per cent to CNY5.9 billion.

The operator added 4.8 million mobile subscribers to close March with 349 million.

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With the additional sites, its 5G base station count will hit 2.8 million by the end of the year.

In its annual results statement, the operator forecast capex for 2025 would drop 7.8 per cent. This follows a 7.6 per cent drop in 2024 to CNY164 billion ($22 billion), lower than its original CNY173 billion forecast.

The operator’s total mobile user base topped 1 billion at end-2024, up from 991 million a year earlier.

Its number of 5G network customers grew 18.7 per cent to 552 million. ARPU slipped 1.6 per cent to CNY49.30, average monthly data usage was steady at 15.9GB.

China Mobile chair Yang Jie noted “amid a complex and stressful external environment marked by various challenges”, the company united as a team to record a favourable operating performance.

Net profit in 2024 rose 5 per cent to CNY138.4 billion, with operating revenue up 3.1 per cent to CNY1 trillion. Service revenue increased 3 per cent to CNY889.5 billion, while product sales improved 3.8 per cent to CNY151.3 billion.

China Mobile now breaks down revenue into four categories: mobile, home broadband and smart home, enterprise and new businesses.

Mobile revenue dipped 1.3 per cent to CNY483.7 billion; broadband grew 8.5 per cent to CNY106.8 billion; enterprise was up 8.8 per cent to CNY209.1 billion; and new market 8.7 per cent to CNY53.6 billion.

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Speaking at the China 5G Development Conference, China Mobile VP Zhang Dong noted population coverage reached 96 per cent, with 90 per cent of administrative villages covered.

China Unicom deputy GM Hao Liqian said its 5G base station total includes 1.4 million in the 3.4GHz band, which it shares with China Telecom, and 800,000 low-band (800MHz) sites, the portal wrote.

He said it operates 5G private networks for more than 15,000 customers and has deployed 5G-Advanced in more than 100 cities.

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, shares its 2.6GHz spectrum with China Broadnet, which launched service in 2022 and closed June with 25.2 million 5G subscribers. 

The market leader deployed 351,000 5G base stations in H1, taking its total to 2.3 million at end-June.

Data from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed operators deployed 3.4 million 5G base stations at end-2023.

China Telecom did not disclose base station numbers in its Q3 earnings report.

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The memorandum of understanding covers exploring the feasibility of using the latest technology to aid the fire service, including the development of applications for rescue operations and applying advanced indoor location technology.

A statement published by the Hong Kong government indicated the partnership between FSD and China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) aimed to improve rescue services, operational efficiency at the department and up safety of firefighters.

FSD director of fire services Andy Yeung noted the organisation planned to assess the use 5G, big data, AI and other technologies to up intelligence and information use in firefighting.

The department and the operator have been working on “exploratory practices” on scenarios around rescue and fire warnings since last year, the statement explained, with the latest pact designed to “launch exploration and pilot schemes on projects such as backpack base stations and emergency communications”.

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The jump comes despite the country’s major mobile players starting to trim 5G capex, which had been elevated since they began to roll out 5G in late 2019.

The current count is a significant jump from 3 million at end-June 2023. The nation’s 5G deployment up until then averaged about 750,000 base stations a year,  a much slower pace than the 1 million added over the past 14 months.

China Mobile alone deployed an additional 351,000 5G base stations in H1, taking its total to 2.3 million. Its capex in the period dropped 21.3 per cent year-on-year to CNY64 billion ($9.1 billion), with CNY173 billion earmarked for the full year, down from CNY180 billion in 2023.

The full-year outlay at China Mobile and China Unicom is forecast to dip to around 16 per cent of total revenue this year from 20 per cent to 21 per cent in 2023, respectively, a report from HSBC estimated. China Telecom’s capex is also expected to decline to about 16 per cent from 17.5 per cent last year and 18.6 per cent in 2022.

What are we counting?
Remy Pascal, principal analyst, Mobile Infrastructure at Omdia told Mobile World Live MIIT counts and reports radio units not physical sites or base stations, which typically bundle one baseband unit with three radio units.

He noted China is not the only country or operator counting the number of equipment deployed compared to the number of cell sites, suggesting Bharti Airtel with about 947,000 broadband base stations is likely reporting the number of radio units. The India-based operator said it added nearly 95,000 base stations year-on-year, about one-third of China Mobile’s 5G deployment over six months.

Pascal said it is difficult to track the installed base and volume of equipment. Omdia tracks RAN investment on a quarterly and annual basis. For the first six months of 2024, it estimates China accounted for 33 per cent of the global RAN investment and India a bit more than 5 per cent.

He explained the actual configuration of a site makes a big difference. China’s initial 5G deployment stage was dominated by massive MIMO active antenna units. It is now a mix of some massive MIMO but also more traditional radio units, especially for lower bands such as 700MHz, and those have a lower cost per unit, which is one of the factors explaining a high number of units despite the capex slowdown.

Global footprint
Research companies following the industry reckon China accounts for about a third of the global total of macro sites (all technologies, but a bit higher for 5G). Rough estimates peg the worldwide count at 10 million, with 3 million in China and 1 million in India. Government figures showed India had 420,000 5G base stations (or radio units) at end-January, after aggressive buildouts by Reliance Jio and Airtel starting in October 2022.

Data from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications indicate the country’s four mobile operators had a total of more than 1.2 million base stations (radio units) at end-December, with nearly 170,000 5G sites/units. SoftBank Corp leads with about 65,000 5G base stations. 

Japan, with a land mass of 377,973 square km, is more than eight-times smaller than India (3.3 million square km) and 1/25th the size of China (9.6 million square km). Since Japan has 4 per cent of China’s area, it makes sense for its 5G base station count to be about 4 per cent of the mainland’s total.

India is about a third the size of China, which has 9.5-times more 5G base stations after a three-year head start. 

With Vodafone Idea coming to the 5G party this year, India’s numbers will get a big boost. But both Jio and Airtel have said capex will drop in the current fiscal year after peaking in fiscal 2024 (ending 31 March).

Jio’s parent does not disclose capex for its mobile unit; Airtel’s jumped 18.5 per cent INR333.8 billion ($4 billion) in fiscal 2024. JM Financial forecasts the two operators’ capital outlay in fiscal 2025 to drop by 31 per cent to INR302 billion and to an estimated INR275 billion, respectively.

Although Airtel is planning to go live with standalone (SA) technology for FWA this year, MD and CEO Gopal Vittal said in its last earning call the incremental capex to run SA is “very modest because our radio network, our core network, everything is ready for SA”.

Assuming India in the long term will need to deploy a third of the 5G equipment as China to match its smaller size, it has a lot of room for growth.

The question is how many more radio cells do China’s big three need for ubiquitous 5G coverage nearly five years after launch. No doubt the country’s two major equipment vendors, barred from exporting to most Western markets, will feel the pain when the last domestic 5G radio units are installed. But robust demand for private 5G networks from China’s vast enterprise segment will pick up some of the slack.

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In statement, U Mobile explained areas of collaboration include knowledge exchange on 5G deployments, with a focus on the B2B sector, and developing commercial 5G models that cross borders and improve roaming infrastructure for travellers.

U Mobile CEO Wong Heang Tuck stated their joint R&D aims to speed up 5G innovation and adoption.

Earlier in the month, Maxis signed an MoU with CMI with the goal of accelerating 5G initiatives and use their combined strengths to “foster innovation and drive growth” in the telecoms sector.

Key initiatives will cover development of private 5G networks and AI advancements, with both companies to share technical expertise and explore new market opportunities.

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The operator’s user base is more than twice that of the world’s second-largest player Reliance Jio in India which has 489.7 million, data from GSMA Intelligence showed.

China Telecom was third with nearly 417 million mobile subs, Bharti Airtel fourth with 355.8 million, followed by China Unicom with 339.5 million.

In Q2 2019, just months before 5G launched in the mainland, China Mobile had 935 million subs. Its net additions since then is larger than all but 23 operators worldwide.

China Broadnet, the country’s fourth mobile player, ended June with 65.6 million subs, GSMA Intelligence estimates.

China Mobile closed June with 514.2 million 5G network customers, accounting for 51.4 per cent of total subs. Its 5G base station count increased by 351,000 in H1 to 2.3 million.

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The world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers set the target of signing up 31 million new 5G network users in the July to December period, bringing net additions for the year to 80 million. The year-on-year growth rate in H1, more than four years after first launching 5G service, was above 30 per cent.

In its earnings release, the company highlighted 5G data usage at 20.7GB a month was 33 per cent higher than its overall average, which was steady from a year earlier at 15.5GB.

Chair Yang Jie noted the evolving external environment “has introduced growing adverse impacts, while effective demand has persistently remained inadequate”. However, he added the macroeconomic outlook continues to improve.

Despite deploying an additional 351,000 5G base stations in H1, taking its total to 2.3 million, the operator cut capex 21.3 per cent to CNY64 billion ($8.9 billion). It earmarked CNY173 billion for the full year, down from CNY180 billion in 2023.

Yang said it deployed commercial 5G-Advanced in more than 280 cities.

Mobile service revenue was broadly flat at CNY302.9 billion, and ARPU fell 2.7 per cent to CNY51. Sales of products and services were up 6 per cent to CNY83.6 billion.

Its overall mobile user base edged up 1.5 per cent to just over 1 billion.

Cloud revenue grew 19.3 per cent to CNY50.4 billion.

Net profit rose 5.3 per cent to CNY80.2 billion, with operating revenue up 3 per cent to CNY546.7 billion.

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The operator speeches on day one, running nearly an hour, were heavy on strategic positioning such as how the combination of AI and 5G would bring new production methods, leading to super-personalised and flexible manufacturing.

The China Mobile and China Unicom chiefs surprisingly mentioned 5G-A just once, while China Telecom’s chair managed to avoid referencing it, but he did highlight the company was one of the first in the world to connect a 5G phone directly to satellite through three proprietary technologies and its low-altitude economy plans (focused on drones and non-terrestrial networks).

China Mobile chairman Yang Jie kicked off the conference by stating: “We are standing at a new stage in the digital intelligence revolution.”

The chair added it aims to “transform and upgrade our public information service offerings”, while at the same time reshape consumer services by integrating AI agents.

He echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s now popular policy concept of “new quality productive forces” a total of seven times in his 18-minute talk.

China Telecom chairman Ke Ruiwen stated “we are in the era of cloud plus internet plus AI,” which aims to transform the way the company operates its networks, “accelerating the agility and nimbleness” of its 5G network.

Ke added AI will also contribute to energy savings, a reduction in carbon emissions and improve the customer experience.

He offered a few more specifics, vowing to continue to upgrade its integrated 5G product offering and promote industrial devices equipped with 5G capabilities. The operator also will use generative models and technologies to expand use cases to “ensure 5G networks cover most industrial sectors”.

China Unicom chairman Chen Zhongyue encouraged operators to work together to develop new ways to revive growth in communication services, noting uptake of broadband services inched up just 2.3 per cent last year after growth peaked at about 30 per cent in 2014.

5G-A “milestone”
Meanwhile, David Wang, executive director of the board at Huawei, called the freezing of 3GPP release 18, the first standards unveiled for 5G-A last month, an industry milestone.

In a session the day before MWC Shanghai kicked off, Wang stated 5G-A networks are being deployed to meet network requirements in the AI era by delivering faster speeds, larger capacity and lower latency. “AI applications will soon make a considerable contribution to overall mobile traffic, driving the need for upgrades.”

Judging from the lack of public attention from the three operator bosses, the domestic players, which have spent trillions of yuan deploying nearly 3.8 million 5G base stations over the past five years, appear far from enthusiastic about the next-generation of 5G.

China Mobile alone invested around CNY100 billion ($13.8 billion) annually in its 5G network over that period. It revealed broad plans in March to deliver 5G-A connectivity to more than 300 cities by end-2024, without specifics on the scale or target use cases. In June, the operator said coverage reached 35 cities.

China Telecom held a press conference on Day 2 to reveal its 5G-A action plan, but president Liang Baojun offered no more detail than chairman Ke. Liang said the plan will focus on “deepening practical exploration at three levels: capability building, ecological cooperation and application implementation”. 

There was no mention of target cities, planned coverage area or number of base stations.

Newcomer China Broadnet was equally vague about its 5G-A network rollout plan during a press event, while China Unicom earlier said it began commercial pilots.

A Beijing-based analyst told Mobile World Live that while Chinese operators’ aggressive 5G investments have created new growth, particularly in the enterprise segment (which is leading the world thanks to their extensive deployments), even the Big Three find the continuing investment in 5G-A a daunting task despite its value proposition.

The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.

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The news publication noted authorities in the US were looking into whether China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom’s IT and networking activities in the country put local data at risk of being sent to China.   

Investigations are apparently being undertaken by the US Department of Commerce with the process more advanced in the cases of China Mobile and China Telecom.

Reuters reported the trio have small businesses remaining in the country with, among these, providing cloud services and wholesale internet traffic routing.

US regulators have already placed a number of restrictions on China’s major mobile and technology companies alongside removing the trio of operators’ listings from the New York Stock Exchange, as part of a prolonged campaign under the guise of national security concerns.  

China has regularly accused the US of “politicising business engagement” and misrepresenting national security in response to various bans, investment and export restrictions. China has also reportedly hit back and placed curbs on some US tech.   

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He, previously a director and president at the operator, has also held various other senior positions. These included deputy GM for its unit in Guangdong province. The executive also served as SVP at China Unicom (Hong Kong).

The change at the helm of the company comes after Dong was named deputy head of China’s National Radio and Television Administration in January.

Yang Jie remains chair of the largest operator in China by subscribers.

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The world’s largest operator by subscribers added 125 million 5G network customers from a year earlier to take the total to 488 million at end-March, accounting for 49 per cent of of its 995.6 million mobile subscribers, up 1.3 per cent.

The number of 5G package customers, those using the service but many without compatible devices, increased 15.9 per cent to 798.5 million.

Net profit in Q1 grew 5.5 per cent year-on-year to CNY29.6 billion ($4.1 billion), aided by CNY8.5 billion in interest gains and income from investments, less higher finance costs. 

Operating revenue increased 5.2 per cent to CNY263.7 billion, with telecoms service revenue rising 4.5 per cent to CNY219.3 billion. ARPU rose 6.7 per cent to CNY47.90.

Average monthly data usage fell to 14.8GB from 16.8GB a year earlier.

The operator didn’t disclose revenue for its data, information and communications technology unit, after reporting the figure in the past.

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The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported officials told the nation’s largest operators – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – earlier this year to phase out foreign processors from their networks in a move that increases tensions between China and the US.

The news agency stated China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ordered state-owned mobile operators to examine their networks for foreign semiconductors and then come up with timelines to replace them with domestic alternatives.

China accounted for more than 27 per cent of Intel’s total revenue in 2023 and 15 per cent of AMD’s, WSJ reported.

In March 2023, The Financial Times reported China is seeking to forbid the use of Intel and AMD chips, as well as Microsoft’s operating system, from government computers and servers in favour of local hardware and software.

Those measures also cover the removal of database software from non-Chinese companies.

In October 2023, the US moved to impose tougher export restrictions on the sale of AI chips to China from companies such as Nvidia.

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The world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers ended 2023 with 1.9 million 5G base stations after adding 480,000 new sites. The total includes 620,000 700MHz sites deployed in partnership with China Broadnet.

China Mobile disclosed last week it plans to cut capex in 2024 by 4 per cent to CNY173 billion ($23.9 billion), with investment in 5G networks to drop 21.6 per cent to CNY69 billion. Overall spending on connectivity is forecast to decline 20 per cent to CNY87.4 billion.

As a percentage of service revenue, capex is earmarked to fall below 20 per cent from 20.9 per cent in 2023 and 22.8 per cent in 2022.

Government figures showed the country’s three major operators closed 2023 with 3.4 million 5G base stations.

Earlier this week, the GSMA forecast 5G connections in China would top 1 billion this year, after hitting 810 million at end-2023.

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The world’s largest mobile operator earmarked CNY173 billion in capex for 2024, compared with CNY180.3 billion last year. The 2023 figure represents 20.9 per cent of telecoms services revenue, down by 1.9 percentage points from the year earlier.

Chair Yang Jie said the capex to service revenue ratio is expected to fall below 20 per cent in 2024.

Net profit for the full year rose 5 per cent year-on-year to CNY131.8 billion. Operating revenue grew 7.7 per cent to CNY1 trillion, with service revenue up 6.3 per cent to CNY863.5 billion.

Yang highlighted revenue topped the trillion mark for the first time despite challenges in “a complex and severe macro environment”.

The operator added 138 million 5G network customers (users with both a connection and compatible device) in 2023, taking the total 465 million. It targets signing up 80 million 5G network customers in 2024. The number of 5G package subscribers increased almost 30 per cent to 795 million.

Its overall mobile user base inched up 1.6 per cent to 991 million at end-2023. Mobile ARPU was flat at CNY49.30.

The number of customers using its 5G voice over HD video reached 133 million, a net addition of 41.3 million. IoT connections increased 23.9 per cent to 1.3 million.

Digital transformation product sales improved 22.2 per cent to CNY253.8 billion, accounting for 29.4 of telecoms service revenue. The company signed 15,000 5G industry commercial cases, up 22.4 per cent.

It added 23.7 million monthly active users of its cloud product, bringing the total to 190 million. Cloud revenue jumped 65.6 per cent to CNY83.3 billion.

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Dong was appointed CEO in August 2020, served as an executive director for China Mobile since 2017 and joined China Tower’s board in 2018.

The NRTA supervises state-owned enterprises in the television and radio sector.

Executives for the country’s state-owned telecoms companies are frequently resigned without notice.

In July 2023, China Unicom chair and CEO Liu Liehong stepped down, taking up the position of head of the newly-created National Data Bureau.

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The trio added 260 million 5G package customers year-on-year (see chart, below) to take the county’s total to a staggering 1.3 billion, with China Mobile signing up the lion’s share.

ARPU has been stable over the past seven quarters.

China Mobile was the only one to not release mobile service revenue figures, booking a 7.2 per cent year-on-year increase in overall telecoms service revenue to CNY664.6 billion ($91.2 billion) and a similar rise in product sales to CNY111 billion.

The number of customers with 5G-capable handsets rose 45.5 per cent to 425 million and accounted for 30 per cent of its total user base of 990 million. 

Average data traffic rose 14.7 per to 15.6GB per month, and data and ICT revenue grew 26.4 per cent to CNY86.6 billion.

China Unicom’s equipment sales increased 20 per cent to CNY29.2 billion and it added nearly 10 million mobile subs for a total of 332 million.

The number of IoT terminal connections rose 30 per cent to 467 million, driving a 22 per cent increase in revenue to CNY7.5 billion.

China Telecom picked up nearly 15 million mobile subscribers to end September with 405.8 million.

Revenue from its digital industrial services grew 16.5 per cent to CNY99.7 billion.

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Net profit rose 8.4 per cent year-on-year to CNY76.2 billion ($10.6 billion) and operating revenue 6.8 per cent to CNY530.7 billion.

Mobile service revenue rose 1.8 per cent to CNY305.6 billion, with overall ARPU flat at CNY52.40 and the 5G figure down 4.6 per cent to CNY81.10.

It ended June with 393 million 5G network customers and expects a similar number of net adds in H2.

The H1 increase was down from 136 million in H1 2022.

Its total mobile user base rose 1 per cent to 985 million.

Average monthly data consumption increased 14.8 per cent to 15.5GB.

Digital transformation (DT) sales rose 19.6 per cent to CNY132.6 billion, accounting for 29.3 per cent of telecoms services revenue compared with 26 per cent.

Within DT category, cloud revenue grew 80.5 per cent to CNY42.2 billion and private 5G networks 69.7 per cent to CNY2.5 billion.

Consumer broadband revenue grew 9.3 per cent CNY64.9 billion, with household connections up 11.2 million to 255 million. Smart home network customers grew 50.1 per cent and home security 40.6 per cent.

Capex dropped 11.5 per cent to CNY81.4 billion, with 52 per cent earmarked for its 5G network.

The company deployed 301,000 5G base stations to take the total to near 1.8 million.

Full-year capex is forecast to decline slightly to CNY183.2 billion.

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In a statement, the Cyberspace Administration of China explained the guidelines aim to strengthen the online protection for children.

It noted past initiatives “played an active role in helping minors reduce internet addiction”.

Specific new measures include upgrading a child mode to cover mobile terminals and app stores in addition to current rules on apps themselves.

The guidelines call for switching to the mode to be made simple by allowing users three options for turning on the controls: a prompt when starting a device, an icon on the desktop and a link in system settings.

Mobile terminals also must allow parents to set different usage times for children of different ages. When the daily use time limit is hit, terminals should automatically close active apps except for those exempted by parents.

After a mobile terminal is switched on, any app which is opened automatically switches to the child mode interface.

To exit the mode, parents need to verify and agree.

The deadline for submitting comments is 2 September.

Authorities started an aggressive crackdown on gaming in 2021, by introducing new restrictions to curb children’s screen time and combat addiction.

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El primer proyecto abarca unas 63.800 estaciones base donde se utiliza espectro de 2,6-4,9 GHz, y el segundo otras 23.141 en la banda de 700 MHz, en colaboración con China Broadnet.

C114.net calcula que Huawei ha obtenido contratos por valor de 4.100 millones de yuanes (unos 530 millones de euros), lo que supone unas 45.000 estaciones base, o alrededor del 52% del total.

Según los cálculos del portal de noticias, ZTE se ha hecho con una cuota cercana al 27% por un valor de 2.100 millones de yuanes (unos 272 millones); Ericsson, con el 8,2% (630 millones de yuanes / unos 81 millones de euros); Datang Mobile, con el 7,1% (550 millones de yuanes / unos 71 millones de euros), y Nokia, con el 5,2% (400 millones de yuanes / unos 52 millones de euros).

En marzo, China Mobile anunció que proyectaba incorporar 260.000 nuevas estaciones base 5G durante 2023, a fin de alcanzar un total de 1,6 millones.

El acuerdo con China Mobile se produce en un momento en el que Huawei trabaja sobre todo en su mercado nacional, limitada por las sanciones comerciales estadounidenses, que han frenado su negocio de smartphones y despliegues de 5G en muchos países.

Huawei consiguió en su día el 57,3% de un contrato de 37.100 millones de yuanes (unos 4.800 millones de euros) sobre tecnología 5G, que China Mobile adjudicó en 2020, mientras que ZTE se hizo con el 28,7%.

Posteriormente, obtuvo el 55% de un contrato conjunto de China Unicom y China Telecom para una red 5G autónoma por valor de 32.300 millones de yuanes (unos 4.177 millones de euros), mientras que ZTE se hizo con el 33%, Ericsson con el 10% y Datang Mobile con el 2%.

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The first project covers about 63,800 base stations using 2.6GHz to 4.9GHz spectrum and the second 23,141 in the 700MHz band in a joint effort with China Broadnet.

C114.net estimated Huawei won contracts worth CNY4.1 billion, involving about 45,000 base stations or about 52 per cent of the total.

Based on the news portal’s calculation, ZTE secured a near 27 per cent share valued CNY2.1 billion; Ericsson 8.2 per cent (CNY630 million); Datang Mobile 7.1 per cent (CNY550 million); and Nokia 5.2 per cent (CNY400 million).

In March, China Mobile said it planned to add 260,000 5G base stations this year for a total of 1.6 million.

The China Mobile deal comes at a time when Huawei is focused on its domestic market in the face of ongoing US trade sanctions, which curbed its smartphone business and 5G deployments in many countries.

Huawei won a 57.3 per cent share of a CNY37.1 billion 5G contract China Mobile awarded in 2020, with ZTE taking 28.7 per cent.

The vendor later took a 55 per cent share of a joint China Unicom and China Telecom standalone 5G network contract worth CNY32.3 billion, with ZTE awarded 33 per cent, Ericsson 10 per cent and Datang Mobile 2 per cent.

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In the face of these global opportunities, carriers may struggle to rapidly expand their international reach, particularly those in emerging markets. Therefore, by partnering with global service providers, carriers can equip themselves with the resources to expand their service portfolio and maximise their reach, capturing the opportunities for both international and local growth.

As one of the leading global players, CMI’s iConnect ONE model offers a powerful solution for carriers looking to expand their services globally. With CMI’s extensive network infrastructure already covering more than 80 countries and regions, CMI is well-positioned to provide cross-region connectivity and global deployment support for carriers looking to scale up. By leveraging our experience and resources, carriers can accelerate their digital transformation journey and tap into the enormous potential offered by the digital revolution. CMI recognises their needs and can enable them to seize global opportunities and address diversified customer needs.

One-stop-shop for holistic services
CMI’s iConnect ONE – Omni Network Enablement is designed to drive the development of global data connectivity services, building on the success of its existing iConnect brand launched in 2018. With a focus on service integration and customisation to meet evolving market demands, iConnect ONE offers a one-stop-shop for holistic services that can help carriers in Asia expand their reach and capture new revenue streams.

By partnering with CMI, carriers can benefit from a comprehensive suite of services, including global data connectivity, cloud and data centre services, and internet of things (IoT) solutions. This level of service integration and customisation can help carriers save on costs and monetise their services more efficiently.

As the industry continues to evolve, CMI is committed to driving innovation and delivering value for its customers. With iConnect ONE, CMI is empowering carriers to seize new business opportunities and achieve their growth objectives in a continuously evolving digital landscape.

Omni Network Enablement to stay ahead of the curve
With the launch of iConnect ONE, CMI offers a comprehensive suite of services under four key categories: roaming services, connectivity services, 5G and IoT services, and empowerment services. This omni-network enablement solution is designed to help carriers expand their reach, monetise their services and stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry.

Roaming services offered by iConnect ONE facilitate customer rollouts of interconnect and roaming services to help manage data consumption and roaming clearing services. This allows carriers to expand their international reach and better serve their customers in new markets.

iConnect ONE’s connectivity services provide low-latency connections and flexible bandwidth options, allowing carriers to customise their services and meet the unique needs of their customers. With this level of service personalisation, carriers can maximise their revenue streams and differentiate themselves from competitors.

5G and IoT services offered by iConnect ONE enable carriers to take advantage of the exciting opportunities presented by these emerging technologies. This includes technical support, consultancy services and platform-as-a-service to help carriers build up their local network and offer innovative services to their customers. CMI’s 5G private network services and applications can further enable carrier partners to better serve their end-users and meet different market needs across industries.

Empowerment services offered by iConnect ONE maximise carriers’ chances to swiftly harness emerging business opportunities and better monetise their resources. This includes messaging, VoIP and content platforms, as well as value-added services that enable providers to meet complex and fast-changing needs in the digital era. By future-proofing their existing services and providing scope for real innovation, carriers can stay ahead of the competition and maximise their revenue potential.

Agile consulting platform for daily operation and management
To provide an agile and transparent consulting platform for customers, iConnect ONE includes the iConnect Customer Portal. This portal allows users to access traffic reports, invoices, and business insights and statistics, helping them to manage their daily operations in a more efficient way.

By outsourcing operations to iConnect ONE, carriers can lower costs, complement and differentiate their offerings with value-added services, and gain access to professional consultancy services that can aid in finding effective ways forward for their business. This level of support enables carriers to focus on their core competencies while still offering a comprehensive suite of services to their customers.

Extensive global network to back you up
CMI’s extensive global reach, with more than 230 points-of-presence across all regions and investments in 15 submarine cables and 23 terrestrial cables, underpins the operator’s ability to provide a multitude of capabilities enabled by iConnect ONE. This allows customers to maximise the value from their services and seize global business opportunities.

CMI’s parent company, China Mobile, is the world’s largest operator by mobile user base, numbering almost a billion subscribers in a very fast-growing part of the globe. The company is also at the forefront of 5G adoption, counting 614 million subscribers to the technology in China by the end of 2022, after gaining more than a third of those users last year alone. With more than 18,000 agreements for commercial 5G projects across multiple sectors, China Mobile is well-positioned to lead the charge in the digital transformation of the industry.

Leveraging CMI’s extensive global networks and experience, iConnect ONE enables carriers to expand their networks with ease and access a whole range of services they need through a single connection site. With CMI’s five self-owned data centres in key locations such as Hong Kong and Singapore, carriers can benefit from low-latency connections and flexible bandwidth options, allowing them to customise their services to meet the unique needs of their customers.

As healthy competition remains key to the development of the global wholesale market, collaboration and partnerships are becoming increasingly important to create opportunities for all. In the carrier world, where everyone is trying to adopt a digital ecosystem, CMI’s model of integrating a full range of services with a wide international reach offers a compelling solution.

CMI is committed to fostering innovation and delivering value for its customers as the industry evolves, allowing them to remain competitive and meet their growth objectives in a fast-changing digital market.

The post iConnect ONE: the Key for Global Connectivity appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Operators aim to tap a fixed broadband segment which S&P Global data showed increased 7.2 per cent in 2022. Emerging markets in Asia registered the strongest growth in subscribers and ARPU.

Asia Pacific’s average household penetration rate stood at 50.7 per cent at end-2022, but the figure hides huge differences between developed and developing countries: from 100 per cent in South Korea and Singapore, to 10.7 per cent in India and 18.6 per cent in Indonesia

Earlier this month, Indonesian operator Telkomsel agreed to integrate with its parent company’s broadband unit, which it stated holds a 75.2 per cent share of the market.

With low fixed broadband penetration in Indonesia and ARPU six-times greater than mobile, Telkomsel sees an attractive upside in the high-growth sector to complement its mobile operations, which face slowing growth.

Telkomsel’s service revenue increased 1.8 per cent in 2022 to IDR89 trillion ($5.9 billion), with legacy voice and SMS services down 16.4 per cent to IDR29.3 trillion and flat mobile ARPU of IDR44,000.

In Hong Kong, China Mobile is considering buying Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN), the second-largest provider of fixed-line broadband service in the territory with a 34 per cent share of the residential market and 37 per cent of the enterprise segment at end-2022.

GSMA Intelligence data showed China Mobile Hong Kong had a 38 per cent share of total mobile connections at end-March, making it the largest operator in the territory.

The parent company doesn’t break out revenue for the subsidiary.

Thailand
AIS is working on a deal to acquire two broadband companies owned by Jasmine International, which will more than double its home broadband business to 4.4 million customers.

The company’s broadband business was its main driver of growth in Q4 2022, increasing 13 per cent year-on-year to THB2.6 billion ($75.5 million). Meanwhile, mobile service revenue was flat at THB29.5 billion, with post-paid ARPU down 3.8 per cent to THB455 and prepaid 10 per cent to THB123.

In the Philippines, Globe Telecom and PLDT have looked to beef up their fixed broadband capabilities, with elevated capex levels over the past few years.

Globe Telecom last month set its sights on the underserved prepaid fibre segment to drive growth in home broadband, as the addressable post-paid market reaches saturation.

Fixed-line broadband users rose 17 per cent to 1.1 million at end-2022 and revenue 27 per cent, but fixed wireless connections and sales were down 47 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively, cutting its total home broadband user base by 30 per cent and revenue 8 per cent to PHP27.1 billion ($487.8 million).

The company added about 1.4 million FTTH lines annually in 2022 and 2021.

Globe Telecom’s mobile service revenue in Q4 2022 increased 3 per cent to PHP107.5 billion, with prepaid ARPU down 1 per cent to PHP98.

PLDT also focused on fixed broadband in 2022, deploying some 1.3 million FTTH ports to take its total to near 6 million and cover about 40 per cent of all villages in the Philippines.

Home broadband sales in Q4 2022 rose 21.1 per cent to PHP12.6 billion and fibre customers by more than 500,000 to 2.9 million.

Mobile service revenue fell 2.5 per cent to PHP23.3 billion and subscribers 7 per cent to 64.3 million.

Growth opportunity
S&P Global forecasts the number of fixed broadband subscribers in the region will climb by 129 million, or 21.7 per cent, to 726 million between 2023 and 2027, offering an appealing upside for service providers.

Broadband revenue is expected to increase 22.4 per cent to $101.4 billion.

Head of Asia telecoms research at HSBC Neale Anderson told Mobile World Live data volumes in most markets are growing around 30 per cent a year, which “is obviously not the case for communications revenues”.

In addition to higher capex and spectrum costs to support 5G, Anderson explained the greater network density increases site lease, electricity and backhaul costs. “One way to limit this impact is to operate a merged fixed and wireless network”.

Anderson noted Asia is relatively unusual compared with Europe in still having a number of standalone mobile operators, with higher cost pressure one reason to add fixed broadband.

With slowing mobile revenue growth, he said adding other services to a bundle is a long-standing method of reducing customer churn.

Mei Lee Quah, director of ICT research at Frost and Sullivan, agreed, noting the industry has seen similar types of developments globally in the past, but this time there is an element of fibre in the mobile services business which can power 5G.

She emphasised the move to fibre assets is all about showing growth. “We can only hope the developments don’t set players too far back to catch up in a new form.”

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The operator’s total mobile subscriber count grew 1.7 per cent year-on-year to 983 million, putting it in the home straight in terms of a run to 1 billion. China Mobile noted 5G users hit 363 million by the close of the quarter, accounting for nearly 37 per cent of its entire base.

China Mobile first split 5G user numbers from a broader figure covering the number of customers on a compatible tariff in March 2022. The recent subscriber number is 130 million higher than at end Q1 2022, with package numbers growing from 467 million to 689 million.

During Q1 China Mobile’s net profit grew 9.5 per cent to CNY28.1 billion ($4.1 billion) and operating revenue 10.3 per cent to CNY250.7 billion.

China Mobile did not reveal mobile revenue, though overall telecoms sales grew 8.3 per cent to CNY209.8 billion and products 21.9 per cent to CNY40.9 billion.

Data and ICT revenue grew 23.9 per cent to CNY29.4 billion.

Average mobile data usage per customer rose 13 per cent to 14.7GB, with mobile ARPU flat at CNY47.50 ($6.90).

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La suma de abonados a telefonía móvil de la operadora ha crecido en un 1,7% interanual hasta alcanzar los 983 millones, con lo que se sitúa en la recta final de la carrera hacia los 1.000 millones. China Mobile señala que los usuarios de 5G eran 363 millones al cierre del trimestre, lo que equivale a casi el 37% de toda su planta.

La operadora ha desglosado por primera vez el número de usuarios de 5G, dentro de una cifra más amplia que en marzo de 2022 incluía también a los clientes con una tarifa compatible. La cifra más reciente de abonados es 130 millones superior a la de finales del primer trimestre de 2022 y el número de paquetes ha pasado de 467 millones a 689 millones.

Durante el primer trimestre, los beneficios netos de China Mobile han crecido en un 9,5%, hasta alcanzar los 28.100 millones de yuanes (unos 3.693 millones de euros), y los ingresos de explotación, un 10,3%, con lo que se sitúan en 250.700 millones de yuanes (unos 32.960 millones de euros).

China Mobile no ha hecho públicos los ingresos provenientes de la telefonía móvil, pero las ventas totales de telecomunicaciones han crecido en un 8,3% hasta situarse en 209.800 millones de yuanes (unos 27.583 millones de euros), y las de productos en un 21,9%, hasta 40.900 millones de yuanes (unos 5.377 millones de euros).

Los ingresos por datos y TIC han crecido en un 23,9%, hasta los 29.400 millones de yuanes (unos 3.865 millones de euros).

El uso medio de datos móviles por cliente ha aumentado en un 13%, hasta los 14,7 gigabytes, y el ingreso promedio por usuario de telefonía móvil se ha mantenido estable en 47,50 yuanes (unos 6,24 euros).

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Reuters reported China Mobile is looking into buying HKBN, which is currently valued at $1 billion, submitting a request for proposal to a group of banks to advise on acquiring and taking the operator private.

The news agency noted China Mobile hasn’t made a decision on making a formal offer.

HKBN reported it had a 34 per cent share of Hong Kong’s residential broadband market and 37 per cent of the enterprise market at end-2022.

In late March, HKBN’s board said it was approached about a potential take over by I Squared Asia Advisors, the same asset management company that owns Hong Kong ISP HGC Global Communications.

Others showing interest include global investment company PAG, Bloomberg wrote, noting potential buyers may team with HKBN management for a buy out.

A sale in 2022 was halted by potential buyers including KKR and PAG due to concerns over the valuation.

HKBN was sold to CVC Capital Partners in 2012 in a management buy out and was listed in 2014.

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