(Reporter Du Feng) With the release of the operation data report of the three major operators in December 20, 2021, the operation data for the whole year was released. Up to now, the total number of 5G package users of the three major operators has exceeded the 700 million mark, achieving an absolute leader in the global 5G field.
With the continuous consolidation of communication network infrastructure construction and the introduction of 5G messages and other continuous enrichment of application scenarios, the 5G package users of the three major operators are expected to reach a new level in 2022.
Telecom ended perfectly: strong growth in key data
From the report card in December 2021, it can be seen that in the three data of net increase in mobile users, net increase in broadband users and net increase in 5G users, China Telecom's performance has been red across the board, becoming the operator with positive growth among the three major operators.
Data source: Operator bulletin
In December 2021, China Telecom ranked first among the three major operators with a net increase of 490,000 households, while China Unicom lost 225,000 mobile subscribers. In terms of net broadband subscriber growth, China Telecom led the way with 390,000 households, while China Mobile lost 459,000 households in December.
Looking at the data for the whole year of 2021, the three major operators handed over a beautiful report card. In terms of net increase in mobile subscribers, China Telecom has accumulated a net increase of 21.41 million subscribers, ahead of the other two. In terms of cable broadband, China Mobile's cumulative net increase in 2021 was 29.785 million, and China Telecom's cumulative net increase in users also reached 11.18 million.
2021 can be called the year of 5G package user growth, China Mobile's 5G package users have increased by 222 million in the whole year, and the penetration rate of 5G package users has exceeded 40%, reaching 40.42%. China Telecom's 5G users also achieved a net increase of 100 million, with a cumulative net increase of about 101 million households and an penetration rate of 50.54%, becoming the first operator with a penetration rate of more than 50% for 5G package users. China Unicom's mobile 5G package users have reached 154.9 million, and the penetration rate of 5G package users has reached 48.85%.
At present, the total number of 5G package users of the three major operators has reached 729.708 million, far ahead of other countries and ranking first in the world.
Continuous improvement of networks and terminals drives user growth
Behind the surge in 5G package users is the continuous improvement of network infrastructure construction, in recent years, the three major operators have accelerated the construction of 5G base stations, focusing on creating a 5G boutique network with effective coverage and excellent experience.
On January 20, the latest data released by the State Council New Office showed that in 2021, the number of new 5G base stations added to the mainland reached 654,000, and the cumulative number of 5G base stations completed and opened reached 1.425 million, and the 5G network has covered all prefecture-level cities, more than 98% of county towns and urban areas and 80% of townships and towns. The construction process of 5G infrastructure network in mainland China has been continuously advancing, among which China Mobile has built more than 700,000 5G base stations, And China Telecom and China Unicom have jointly built and shared more than 600,000 5G base stations, and jointly built the world's first and largest 5G independent networking and sharing network, realizing large-scale industrial applications.
The development of 5G mobile phones has also become a booster for the number of 5G users to reach a new high. According to the latest data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the shipment of 5G mobile phones in mainland China will reach 266 million units in 2021, an increase of 63.5% year-on-year, accounting for 75.9% of mobile phone shipments in the same period. As of the end of December 2021, a total of 671 5G terminals in the mainland have been licensed to enter the network, of which 491 are 5G mobile phones. Nowadays, the lowest price of domestic 5G mobile phones has dropped to less than 1,000 yuan, and the proportion of 5G mobile phone shipments in 2022 is expected to further climb.
In addition, the three major telecom operators have launched a variety of information services for individuals and integrated solutions for family information services, paying more attention to product content richness and product system diversification, and constantly meeting the needs of users.
In the future, 5G package users are expected to continue to grow at a high speed
From the perspective of development trends, the rapid growth of operators' 5G users has just begun. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that in 2022, it will continue to improve 5G network coverage, moderately advance the construction of 5G networks, deepen co-construction and sharing, and continue to expand the breadth of county and township coverage.
According to the "14th Five-Year Plan" Information and Communication Industry Development Plan, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period strives to build the world's largest 5G independent networking network, and strives to have 26 5G base stations per 10,000 people, so as to achieve comprehensive coverage of cities and towns, basic coverage of administrative villages, and in-depth coverage of key application scenarios, of which the 5G access rate of administrative villages is expected to reach 80%. At that time, more potential 5G users will emerge.
The large-scale development of 5G networks has laid the foundation for the landing of rich 5G applications. At present, the rapid development of 5G + medical and health applications in the mainland, the application of 5G + smart education, and the 5G news of operators will soon be commercialized in the future. In November last year, China Unicom has launched trial commercial use. Earlier, China Telecom revealed: "It plans to promote the commercial use of 5G news in January 2022, and is currently in the process of formulating a plan." A few days ago, "5G News" was first applied to the Hubei Two Sessions report, supporting the transmission of various rich media messages such as text, pictures, videos, emoticons, locations, contacts, etc., leading a new reading experience.
With the commercial landing of 5G news and the continuous enrichment of 5G application scenarios, 5G package users are expected to further grow.