China’s telecom sector grows 8.1%

1 min readUpdated May 15, 2025Dec 29, 20217:53 AM

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China’s telecom sector recorded a strong 8.1% year-on-year growth in the first 11 months of this year.

According to official figures released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the combined industrial revenue grew by over RMB 1.35 trillion. This represents a decline of 0.1 percentage points for the period from January to October.

The number of 5G mobile subscribers has reached 497 million by the end of November, representing an increment of 298 million from the end of last year. Of which, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom added over 35 million 5G mobile subscribers in November alone.

The world’s largest operator in term of subscribers, China Mobile has added a total of 209.38 million 5G subscribers since the start of 2021.

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What this means

This substantial 8.1% growth in China's telecom sector, despite a slight slowdown from the prior period, indicates a highly dynamic market driven by widespread 5G adoption. The rapid subscriber additions by China Mobile and its rivals pressure other service providers to accelerate digital transformation and connectivity offerings. This aligns with Panpuri’s 16-store Asian expansion and Alo Yoga's Tmall partnership, both using a digitally connected consumer base. While Louis Vuitton closed a store, the broader trend is expansion into this growing digital ecosystem, as seen with Yum China's 300th Pizza Hut Burger Bar opening. Retailers must use this connectivity to reach the 497 million 5G users. The critical next step is to observe average revenue per user trends among these 5G subscribers.

Aiko Tanaka · Retail News Asia newsroom

Questions & Answers

Did the growth rate of China's telecom sector change between the January-October and January-November periods?

Yes, the growth rate for the January to November period saw a decline of 0.1 percentage points compared to the growth recorded between January and October. The overall growth for the first 11 months was 8.1%.

What was the total industrial revenue generated by China's telecom sector in the first 11 months?

The combined industrial revenue for China's telecom sector grew by over RMB 1.35 trillion during the first 11 months of this year. This figure was reported by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

How many new 5G mobile subscribers did China Mobile add this year?

China Mobile, the world's largest operator by subscribers, added a total of 209.38 million 5G subscribers since the start of 2021. This contributed to the sector's total subscriber count.

By how many did 5G mobile subscribers increase since the end of last year?

The number of 5G mobile subscribers increased by 298 million from the end of last year. This brought the total number of 5G subscribers to 497 million by the end of November.

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