Neil Hughes
About half of all of the 2.8 million 4G subscribers on China Mobile's network are iPhone users, giving Apple a strong position as the world's largest wireless provider looks to expand its high-speed mobile presence.
China Mobile CEO Li Yue revealed his company's latest figures this week, according to rthk.hk, noting Apple's continued success since it launched on the carrier earlier this year. The figures do not include iPhone users who might not be on the carrier's fledgling 4G network.
Though it is the world's largest cell phone provider with some 780 million customers as of last month, China Mobile was late to the high-speed LTE game, and is working to catch up with rivals China Telecom and China Unicom. Most of its customers remain on slower 3G networks, as China Mobile finished 2013 with 417 million 3G users. Apple's iPhones are compatible with both China Mobile's 3G and 4G networks.
The number of 4G subscribers on China Mobile has steadily grown while Apple has maintained its position as the most popular LTE smartphone offered by the carrier. The company revealed in March that it had 1.34 million 4G users.
China Mobile's 4G figures don't tell the whole story, however, as the LTE network covers only a small portion of mainland China's biggest cities. Customers outside of China Mobile's 4G footprint must purchase an iPhone outright or with a 3G contract.
Apple's hotly anticipated deal with China Mobile was made official earlier this year when the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c became officially available through the carrier. Analysts have forecast that the arrangement could add 5 percent to Apple's total revenue in 2014.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
11 Comments
"780,000" ? 780 million [fixed] ... and 2.8 million 4G subscribers seems very low, even at this early stage of the game.
This article is quite anomalous because as everyone knows, Apple is doomed. /s
So a China Mobile customer who purchases an iPhone 5S, for example, in a city where 4G has not yet been rolled out would not be counted in these numbers. The customer is presumably buying the iPhone to use on 3G and in anticipation of being able to use it on 4G once 4G service arrives in his area. But that iPhone sale, made today and not being used on 4G and so not counted in these numbers, will suddenly be counted once 4G comes online in that city. So these numbers are a lagging indicator, representing only that portion of sales occurring in 4G active areas.
Let me translate this article into pedestrian parlance please: "Samsung Samsung cry cry cry"
"780,000" ?
780 million [fixed]
... and 2.8 million 4G subscribers seems very low, even at this early stage of the game.
If I'm reading the article (and assuming all translations are good)
1.34 Million in March
2.8 Million in May (assume 8 weeks)
200K customers a week are switching/upgrading to 4G.
that's 52Million a year.
on the part of the China Mobile's Geography that is 4g Enabled.
If you assume a 4 year lifespan (2 for original owner, 2 for next owner/child)... and 1/2 of China Mobiles people are in 4G space... every year China Mobile will see 175 Million new phones, of which 1/2 half are in the 4G space (88M)...
52 Million (60% uplift rate) a year is probably right for the luddites who like their 2G and 3G phone sets and just repeat buying the same model.
If China is like the US (and it isn't I know), then you typically buy lowest common denominator. I still use a 4s, because even though my town is a very fast LTE (my wife's iP5 is my tether in the car;-), I travel a lot in the 'light blue' areas of the ATT network, and '4G' and '3G' are most common.
If China Mobile is just now rolling in LTE, one can imagine what their rural areas are for coverage, given their their income distributions (Even in sparsest Iowa... there is usually one Millionaire Resident (in land value, and/or annual revenue) every 2 square miles,and if needed, can get someone to put a tower on her property to (and then get rent to boot), to get LTE locally)