China’s 5G Users Top 70% of Mobile Subscribers
China’s 5G mobile phone users have surpassed 70 percent of the country’s total mobile subscribers, according to new data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on August 28. The milestone reflects China’s rapid 5G network deployment and the widespread adoption of next-generation mobile technology across the world’s largest telecommunications market.
As of the end of July 2026, 5G mobile phone users reached 1.303 billion, accounting for 70.5 percent of all mobile phone users in China, Xinhua News reported. Total mobile phone users across the three major telecom operators and China Broadnet reached 1.847 billion, a net increase of 20.62 million since the end of 2025.
Rapid Network Expansion
The milestone is underpinned by one of the world’s most extensive 5G infrastructure buildouts. According to the MIIT official data release, 5G base stations totaled 5.154 million by the end of July 2026, a net increase of 316,000 since the end of 2025, and now account for 39.4 percent of all mobile base stations in the country.
China’s 5G journey began in June 2019 when commercial licenses were first issued. By the end of 2025, the country had built 4.838 million 5G base stations, averaging 34.4 per 10,000 people—exceeding the “14th Five-Year Plan” target by 8.4 units, as Gov.cn reported. The network now reaches every township and more than 95 percent of administrative villages.
Broad Adoption Across All Regions
The adoption of 5G services has been remarkably consistent across China’s regions. Data from the China News Service shows 5G penetration rates of 70 percent in the east, 71.4 percent in central China, 70.5 percent in the west, and 71.2 percent in the northeast—all surpassing the 70 percent threshold simultaneously.
Mobile internet traffic continues to surge, with the first seven months of 2026 seeing 258.7 billion GB of mobile data consumed, up 17.6 percent year-on-year. Average monthly data usage per user reached 23.81 GB in July, a 13.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to IT Home’s breakdown of the MIIT data.
A Global Benchmark in 5G Adoption
China’s 5G adoption rate stands as a global benchmark. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report analysis, global 5G subscriptions surpassed 3 billion in the first quarter of 2026, with China accounting for approximately 1.2 billion—about 39 percent of the global total. North America leads in 5G penetration at 79 percent, followed by Northeast Asia at 60 percent and Western Europe at 54 percent.
Industry analysts note that China’s adoption speed is unmatched among major economies. As Kuai Tech observed via Sina Finance, even when accounting for users holding multiple SIM cards, the actual penetration rate of 5G services in China has exceeded 70 percent—a remarkable industrial achievement.
The Next Phase: From Coverage to Value
While network infrastructure and user adoption have grown rapidly, experts caution that the next phase of 5G development must focus on unlocking the technology’s full potential. Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Wu Hequan has noted that the local computing capability of 5G terminals and the richness of upper-layer business applications are currently lagging behind the speed of 5G network bandwidth construction. In most daily consumer scenarios, many users cannot perceive a significant experience advantage of 5G over 4G speeds.
Industry analysts suggest the focus should shift toward creating differentiated applications—such as cloud gaming, industrial internet, and immersive HD streaming—that leverage 5G’s unique bandwidth and low-latency capabilities. This would allow the massive investment in 5G infrastructure to deliver tangible value to both consumers and enterprises.
China has already made strides in this direction. 5G applications have been integrated into 86 of 97 national economic sectors, with over 138,000 application cases, and “5G + Industrial Internet” projects exceed 23,000, covering all 41 industrial categories, according to the MIIT 5G anniversary report.
What to Watch For
As China’s 5G user base approaches near-universal penetration, attention is turning to the next generation of connectivity. 5G-A (5G Advanced) was commercially launched nationwide in May 2025 and now covers more than 330 cities. The country holds 42 percent of global 5G standard essential patents, positioning it strongly for the eventual transition to 6G.
With telecom business revenue declining 2.1 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2026—reflecting broader industry shifts as traditional voice and SMS services contract—the focus will increasingly be on how operators monetize their massive 5G investments through new services and enterprise solutions. The coming months will reveal whether China can translate its world-leading 5G infrastructure into equally world-leading applications and services.