Operators in China had deployed a total of 4.83 million 5G base stations as of the end of November 2025
In sum – what to know:
Modest revenues – Telecom sector revenue rose 0.9% year-on-year to nearly CNY1.61 trillion ($228 billion) in the first 11 months.
Higher adoption – China now has 4.83 million 5G base stations and 1.19 billion 5G users nationwide.
Ongoing buildout – Investment in 5G, gigabit broadband, and IoT networks continues to support data traffic growth.
China’s telecommunications sector recorded steady growth in the first 11 months of last year, according to official data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
From January to November, total business revenue across the sector reached nearly CNY1.61 trillion ($228 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 0.9%
5G deployment in China continued to expand during the period. By the end of November 2025, Chinese telcos had deployed a total of 4.83 million 5G base stations nationwide. The number of 5G mobile users reached 1.19 billion, accounting for 65.3% of all mobile subscribers in the country.
MIIT said mobile internet data traffic maintained relatively fast growth, supported by ongoing investment in network infrastructure. Construction of 5G networks, gigabit optical broadband, and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure continued to progress steadily, according to the official data.
The ministry added that these developments reflect sustained demand for digital services and continued upgrades to China’s communications networks.
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, ended the third quarter of 2025 with a total of 622.3 million subscribers in the 5G segment, according to the carrier’s website. China Mobile ended September 2025 with 1 million subscribers.
China Mobile had previously outlined plans to deploy 340,000 additional 5G base stations in 2025. With these new 5G deployments, China Mobile’s total 5G base stations will reach nearly 2.8 million by the end of 2025. Chinese operators have rolled out 5G-Advanced (5G-A) networks in more than 300 cities, local press reported, citing data from the MIIT.
5G-A offers 10-times faster peak speeds and significantly greater connection density than standard 5G, enabling applications like real-time sensing and smart infrastructure, claim reports and marketing.
