Major Cell Phone Service Providers in China
China Mobile
China Mobile Limited was incorporated in Hong Kong on September 3, 1997. As the leading telecommunications services provider in mainland China, China Mobile provides full communications services throughout mainland China and in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and boasts a world-class telecommunications operator with the world’s largest network, and a leading position in profitability and market value ranking. Its businesses primarily consist of mobile voice and data business, wireline broadband and other information and communications services. As of December 31, 2017, the Group had a total of 464,656 employees, 887 million mobile customers and 113 million wireline broadband customers. Its annual revenue exceeds RMB740 billion.
In recent years, China Mobile’s strategic focus on 5G has made it a spearhead of China’s 5G development.
In 2017, the Company was selected as one of “The World’s 2,000 Biggest Public Companies” by Forbes magazine, and recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index.
China Unicom
China United Network Communications Corporation Limited (“China Unicom”) was established on January 6, 2009. It has subsidiaries across China and many other countries and regions around the world. It has been a Fortune 500 company for many years and was ranked at No. 273 in Fortune 500 in 2018.
China Unicom operates a wide range of services, including fixed-line communication services, mobile communication services, domestic and international communication facilities services, Satellite International Private Lease (IPL) service, data communication services, network access services, telecom value-added services, and system integration related to information and communication services. In addition to its traditional 4G technology, China Unicom has also put focus on the newly emerging 5G technology in recent years.
China Telecom
China Telecommunications Group Corporation Limited (China Telecom) is one of the largest state-owned telecommunications enterprises in China. At present, its total assets exceeds RMB800 billion, with an annual revenue of more than RMB430 billion, and has been listed in Fortune Global 500 for several consecutive years.
With advanced broadband Internet network and a leading-edge mobile communications network, China Telecom provides global customers with cross- region, fully integrated information services and a sound customer service channel system. Today, the company has become the largest LTE-FDD 4G operator, optical broadband operator, IPTV operator and fixed-line telephone operator in the world. Up to now, China Telecom users add up to 700 million.
The Thriving New Media Landscape in China
The New Media
New media is a form of media that emerges under the support of new technologies, including digital broadcasting, digital cinema, mobile media, the Internet and so on. China’s new media has developed rapidly since 2007. In 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China’s new media was included in the Olympic Games’ communication system for the first time as an independent communication agency. The Internet was officially included in the event broadcast channel. After that, the development of new media has become more rapid. The popularity of smartphones has led to the rise of mobile media, which has created a new era for the media industry.
WeChat is a social software for instant messaging between acquaintances. It was developed in 2011, and has covered more than 94% of smart phones in China in just 5 years. The monthly active users have reached 806 million across more than 200 countries, and more than 20 languages. With its simple interface, diverse and powerful features such as voice chat, red envelopes and WeChat payment, WeChat has attracted the public and led the trend of mobile payment.
Internet
China’s current online media is mainly concentrated on mobile devices. As of June 2017, the number of mobile Internet users in China reached 724 million, and the proportion of mobile Internet users increased to 96.3%. The two giants of China’s mobile online media, Weibo and WeChat, have 376 million and 797 million monthly active users in 2017, and these data are still growing every year.
TikTok
TikTok is a music creative short video social software that went live in September 2016. The monthly active users’ number of this app reached 61.76 million in just one year. It even boarded the official stage of the Chinese New Year Gala. The major users of TikTok are young people, and users under 24 account for 68.97%.
