China’s fixed broadband service revenue is poised to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6 percent between 2021 and 2026 driven by rise in high fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscriptions and FTTH average revenue per user (ARPU), according to GlobalData.
Fixed broadband penetration will increase from 35.9 percent in 2021 to 39 percent in 2026 supported by the ongoing broadband network coverage expansions by operators such as China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom.

Fiber will be the top broadband technology in terms of subscriptions throughout the forecast period. This is backed by the aggressive approach and investments by the state-owned firms like China Mobile and China Unicom for the expansion of gigabit fiber optic network infrastructure with three years and 10 years of strategic plans namely Dual-gigabit and Gigabit Broadband Development Plan.

Cable Internet’s share in fixed broadband lines is expected to remain stagnant at 5 percent through the forecast period, whereas DSL broadband will continue to lose subscriptions.

China Mobile is expected to lead the fixed broadband market in terms of subscriptions in 2021, followed by China Telecom. China Mobile will maintain its leading position through 2026 driven by promotional discount offers on various broadband and multi-play plans, Kantipudi Pradeepthi, Senior Analyst at GlobalData, said.