China Broadnet, formerly known as China Broadcasting Network, received a 5G license in 2029
China Broadnet has become the fourth mobile operator in China to provide 5G services in the country, according to a Chinese press report.
The newest player offers the cheapest monthly plan, CNY118 (17.60), 40GB of data and 200 minutes of domestic phone calls, while CNY588 ($ 88) ‘s most expensive monthly package comes with 398 GB of data and 26 hours of calls.
The operator already provides cable services and became the fourth operator in the country to be officially launched in 2020, having previously obtained a license for commercial 5G services in 2019. Prior to the rebranding earlier this year, the carrier was initially known as China Broadcasting Network.
According to the report, China Broadnet will use the 5G infrastructure owned by China Mobile, China’s largest mobile operator.
Last year, China Broadnet and China Mobile said they initially aimed to set up 400,000 5G base stations as part of the company’s efforts to launch a shared 5G network.
The two companies expect the shared network to reach nationwide coverage within the next two years. In May 2020, the company announced plans to set up a nationwide 700 MHz 5G network in collaboration with China Mobile.
Under the terms of the agreement, China Broadnet will have access to China Mobile’s 2.6 GHz network and will also receive guidance and investment from mobile operators. China will share its 2.6 GHz network on a mobile paid basis, enabling China Broadnet to access its 2G, 4G and 5G infrastructure before launching the 700 MHz network.
The five largest shareholders in China Broadnet are China Broadcasting Network Corporation, which has a 51% stake, State Grid Information and Telecommunications, Alibaba Venture Capital Management, Guangdong Radio Television Network and Beijing All Media & Call.
According to the latest available carrier figures, China ended May with a total of 899.3 million subscribers in the 5G segment. Chinese operators recorded a net profit of 30.18 million 5G subscribers in May.
China Mobile, the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, added a total of 18.21 million 5G subscribers last month. The operator said it ended May with 495.13 million 5G subscribers, compared to 221.95 million 5G subscribers in May 2021.
Rival operator China Unicom said it added a total of 4.93 million 5G subscribers in May. The carrier ended the month with 179.70 million 5G subscribers.
Meanwhile, China Telecom added 7.04 million 5G subscribers last month to take its total number of 5G subscribers to 224.47 million. In the first five months of the year, Telco added a total of 36.67 million 5G subscribers.
Chinese telcos have already set up about 1.6 million 5G base stations nationwide. Local operators aim to build 600,000 new 5G base stations this year, of which 134,000 have already been built in the first quarter. According to an earlier report, China expects to end this year with about 2 million 5G base stations.
Chinese carriers reportedly deployed a total of 654,000 base stations nationwide last year.
The country’s 5G networks now cover all prefecture-level cities, accounting for more than 98% of county-level urban areas and 80% of township-level urban areas across the country.
Earlier this year, MIIT unveiled plans to triple the number of 5G base stations over the next four years, targeting a total of 3.64 million by the end of 2025.
