China Mobile ended February with 639.1 million 5G package subscribers after the telco added a total of 16.6 million 5G subscribers during the month
China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, will reduce its 5G capex this year, according to its recent earnings release.
China Mobile’s 5G capex this year will reach CNY 83 billion ($12 billion), down compared to CNY 96 billion in 2022.
For full 2023, China Mobile expects its overall capex to reach CNY 183.2 billion, down from CNY 185.2 billion last year.
China Mobile also said that revenue from its 5G dedicated network reached CNY2.55 billion last year, up 107.4% year-on-year.
“With regard to 5G network, we deepened collaboration with China Broadcasting Network Corporation Limited in the areas of co-construction and sharing of 5G networks to achieve mutual benefits. We coordinated our 700 MHz, 2.6 GHz and 4.9 GHz frequency resources with a scientific approach, and focused on building the base network on the 700 MHz frequency band, constructing the 2.6 GHz and 4.9 GHz frequency bands with precision, and gradually extending indoor coverage,” China Mobile said.
“We delivered continuous coverage across urban districts, counties, towns and villages nationwide, establishing the world’s largest 5G Standalone (SA) network and further solidifying our leadership position in 5G. We have accumulatively put into use 1.285 million 5G base stations, including 480,000 700 MHz 5G base stations. We provided services to 330 million 5G network customers and played a role in promoting the scale development of 5G industry applications in various segments,” the telco said.
China Mobile also highlighted its growing presence in the 5G private market. “By the end of December 2022, we had signed accumulatively more than 18,000 agreements for 5G commercial projects across multiple sectors…We achieved industry leadership in segments including smart mining, smart factories, smart grid, smart hospitals, smart city and autonomous driving.”
China Mobile added a total of 16.6 million 5G subscribers during February. The carrier said it ended last month with 639.1 million 5G package 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.
