The total fixed communications services revenue in China is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1% from $288 billion in 2023 to $302 billion in 2028, supported by the growing fixed broadband service adoption. Fiber is set to maintain its dominance until 2028, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s China Fixed Communication Forecast (Q4 2023) reveals that fixed voice telephony lines are expected to drop at a CAGR at 2.7% over 2023-2028 as users continue to shift towards mobile and internet-based communication services. The overall fixed voice service ARPU levels in both residential and business segments are also expected to drop from $5.87 to $5.03 and $17.41 to $11.97, respectively, between 2023 and 2028, eventually leading to a considerable drop in total fixed voice service revenues.

Pradeepthi Kantipudi, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Fiber will remain the leading broadband technology in terms of subscription share through the forecast period driven by continued expansion and improvement of fiber network infrastructure in the country. For instance, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced that about 110 cities in the country have been connected with gigabit fiber networks as of February 2023, up from 81 cities in 2022.

“China Mobile was the leader in the fixed broadband services market in 2023, in terms of subscription share, followed by China Telecom and China Unicom. China Mobile will maintain its leadership in the market through 2028 driven by its strong position in the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) segment and various promotional discount offers on its broadband and multi-play plans.”