China Mobile hails 'money-saving' plan to share 5G network costs

Mainland telecom carriers manage investment spending, maintain dividends

Investors in recent years have been questioning Chinese carriers' ability to keep 5G investment under control, against the backdrop of high expectations from Beijing. © Getty Images

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

March 29, 2021 15:04 JST

HONG KONG -- China this year was expected to be in the middle of its three-year peak investment period for the country's strategically important 5G mobile network.

But despite the excitement generated by the central government and the related industries that hope to benefit from the hype, the latest investment figures disclosed by China's three state-owned telecommunication carriers reveal another story.