The three major mobile operators in China closed 2021 with a combined 729.5 million 5G package subscribers, more than double the number at end-2020.

Net additions of 5G package subscribers stood at 407.2 million. The number refers to customers on next-generation plans without necessarily owning a compatible device.

In an operating statistics update, China Mobile disclosed 386.8 million 5G package customers at end-2021, up 221.8 million year-on-year.

China Telecom added 101.3 million, taking its total to 187.8, while China Unicom picked up 84.1 million for a total of 154.9 million.

The operators grew their overall mobile customer base by 47.7 million: China Mobile added 15 million to take sum to 957 million, China Telecom’s increased by 21.4 million to 372 million and China Unicom’s rose by 11.3 million to 317 millon.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported the operators added 654,000 5G base stations in 2021, taking the total to 1.4 million.

Xinhua News Agency recently reported China Academy of Information and Communications Technology data showed an increase in 5G smartphone shipments, citing a drop in ASPs to less than CNY1,000 ($157.72) as a factor.

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