Chinese operators recorded a net gain of 34.33 million 5G subscribers in November
Chinese operators had deployed a total of 2.29 million 5G base stations nationwide as of the end of November, local state news agency Xinhua reported, citing data from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
This figure represents an increase of 862,000 compared to the end of 2021 and accounts for 21.1% of all mobile base stations in the country.
According to the report, the combined business revenue of firms in the telecommunications sector reached CNY1.45 trillion ($207.66 billion) in the January-November period, up 8% year on year, according to the ministry. The total business volume of the sector was 21.4% higher year-on-year if calculated at the constant price of last year, according to the ministry.
China’s three telecom giants – China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom – saw their revenue from emerging services, such as internet data centers, big data, cloud computing, and Internet of Things, surge 32.6% year-on-year to CNY 281.1 billion, according to the report.
The Chinese government also revealed that the number of cities in China with the capability to offer gigabit 5G and optical fiber services reached 110 by the end of October.
In these cities, over 80% of the large public hospitals, key universities, major cultural and tourist sites, airports, and key roads have access to 5G network.
Chinese operators recorded a net gain of 34.33 million 5G subscribers in November, according to the operators’ latest available statistics.
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added a total of 23.88 million 5G subscribers during November. The carrier said it ended the month with 595.4 million 5G subscribers.
China Mobile has added a total of 208.6 million subscribers in the 5G segment since the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, China Telecom added 6.02 million 5G subscribers in November to take its total 5G subscribers base to 262.9 million. Since the beginning of the year, the telco has added a total of 75.14 million 5G subscribers.
China Unicom said it added a total of 4.45 million 5G subscribers during November. The carrier ended November with 209.4 million 5G subscribers.
China Broadnet, the country’s newest telecom carrier, recently reached nationwide coverage with its 5G network. China Broadnet had officially launched 5G services in June. The operator already supplies cable services and became the country’s fourth operator when formally inaugurated in 2020, having previously acquired a license for commercial 5G services in 2019. The carrier was initially known as China Broadcasting Network before rebranding earlier this year.
According to previous reports, China Broadnet will use 5G infrastructure owned by China Mobile. Last year, China Broadnet and China Mobile said they aim to initially deploy 400,000 5G base stations as part of the companies’ efforts to launch a shared 5G network.
