GlobalData analyst Kantipudi Pradeepthi said that fiber has become central to China’s connectivity model
In sum – what to know:
Fiber now underpins nearly all fixed broadband in China – With 99% of lines on fiber, operators and policymakers rely on it as the backbone for gigabit services, smart cities and national digitalization efforts.
Next-gen fiber helps stabilize ARPU amid saturation – Multi-gigabit tiers, smart-home bundles and AI-enabled network upgrades turn fiber into a platform for premium services and new revenue growth.
AI is becoming essential for network quality – Predictive maintenance, AIOps and intelligent traffic management are shifting China’s operators toward proactive, experience-driven fiber operations.
China’s aggressive push toward a fully fiberized nation is entering a new phase—one defined not by basic coverage, but by adoption, quality, and the integration of AI-driven operations.
In an interview with RCR Wireless News, Kantipudi Pradeepthi, telecom analyst at GlobalData, described fiber as the foundation supporting China’s next digital chapter and explained why operators are doubling down on next-generation networks despite slowing revenue growth.
Pradeepthi said fiber has become central to China’s connectivity model, noting that “about 99% of China’s fixed broadband subscriptions are already on fiber-optic lines.” Fiber, she added, is no longer a complementary technology but “the backbone of China’s next generation connectivity,” enabling the bandwidth, low latency and long-term scalability needed for applications such as “gigabit-plus broadband, smart homes, remote work, smart city, 4K/8K streaming, and other data-intensive applications.”
The analyst also highlighted that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) aims to extend 5G and optical fiber networks at gigabit speeds “to all county and township seats in border and remote areas by the end of 2025.” Operators are aligning investments accordingly, accelerating dual-gigabit upgrades, 50G-PON trials and all-optical backbone deployments, she added.
With competition intensifying and broadband markets maturing, operators are increasingly looking to new fiber networks as a way to reverse the long decline in ARPU. According to the anlyst, these networks allow operators to introduce multi-gigabit tiers, smart-home bundles and enterprise-grade solutions that create “opportunities for tiered pricing and bundled services that lift overall revenue per household.”
The shift to 10G-PON, AI-optimized all-optical backbones and converged fiber-5G infrastructure is also helping operators diversify beyond connectivity. She said these investments transform fiber “into a high-margin platform for digital innovation rather than a commodity utility,” enabling services around cloud gaming, streaming and IoT.
China is already close to full fiber coverage, but achieving “full-fiber readiness” by 2030 requires converting millions of legacy cable-TV and DTH households. Operators are responding with aggressively priced bundles. Pradeepthi cites China Telecom’s CNY 139 ($19.7) plan, which includes 1000 Mbps fiber, 100 GB of mobile data, 1000 minutes, and 4K IPTV, calling it a “simple and cost-effective way to switch from traditional TV to fiber services.”
“The next phase requires integrating fiber deployment into urban redevelopment, industrial parks, and smart city blueprints, while leveraging AI-driven network planning to optimize cost and efficiency,” she said. Joint construction, open-access fiber models, rural subsidies and domestic production of 10G–50G PON technology will also be essential.
China’s operators are aggressively embedding AI into fiber networks to improve reliability, reduce costs and enhance customer experience. According to Pradeepthi, AI is now used for “predictive fault detection and self-healing optical routes,” as well as intelligent real-time bandwidth allocation.
China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom are building AI-driven operations centers (AIOps) that “automate diagnostics, streamline field operations, and accelerate fault resolution,” enabling consistently high speeds and fewer disruptions. AI is also improving in-home Wi-Fi performance, gaming latency and traffic balancing—key to maintaining service quality as gigabit adoption grows.
Pradeepthi said this shift marks a structural transformation as operators are moving “from reactive maintenance to intelligent, experience-driven operations,” positioning China for a more reliable and scalable gigabit future.
