Chinese operators had deployed a total of 2.29 million 5G base stations nationwide as of the end of November
Chinese operators recorded a net gain of 25.76 million 5G subscribers in February, according to the operators’ latest available statistics.
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added a total of 16.6 million 5G subscribers during February. The carrier said it ended last month with 639.1 million 5G subscribers. China Mobile added a total of 227.2 million subscribers in the 5G segment during 2022.
China Mobile’s overall mobile subscriber base at the end of February amounted to 978.6 million, after a net addition of 3.13 million subscribers during the month. Last year, China Mobile added a total of 18.11 million subscribers.
Meanwhile, China Telecom added 5.19 million 5G subscribers last month to take its total 5G subscribers base to 278.18 million. During 2022, the telco added a total of 80.16 million 5G subscribers.
China Telecom’s overall mobile base amounted to 395.7 million subscribers at the end of February, after adding 3.4 million customers during the month.
Rival operator China Unicom said it added a total of 3.97 million 5G subscribers during last month. The carrier ended February with 219.76 million 5G subscribers. China Unicom added over 42 million subscribers in the 5G segment during 2022.
Chinese operators had deployed a total of 2.29 million 5G base stations nationwide as of the end of November, according to 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.
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 2022.
Meanwhile China Broadnet, the country’s newest telecom carrier, reached nationwide coverage with its 5G network last year. China Broadnet had officially launched 5G services in June last year.
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 in 2022.
According to previous reports, China Broadnet will use 5G infrastructure owned by China Mobile.
China Tower ended 2022 with a total of 2.05 million towers under management, after a new addition of 17,000 sites during the full year.
China Tower was formed in 2014, when the country’s mobile carrier China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom transferred their telecom towers to the new company. The three telcos decided to create the new entity in a move to reduce redundant construction of telecommunications infrastructure across the country.
