On April 25, China Telecom Corporation Limited (China Telecom) released its financial results for the first quarter of 2025. The company reported operating revenue of 134.5 billion yuan ($18.48 billion), with service revenue reaching 124.7 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent and a quarter-on-quarter growth of 4.6 percent.
Smart services revenue surged by 151.6 percent year-on-year, quantum-related revenue grew by 81.1 percent, and Internet Data Center (IDC) revenue reached 9.5 billion yuan, up 10.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the first quarter, China Telecom continued advancing its cloud migration and digital transformation strategy, accelerated its shift toward a service-oriented, technology-driven, and security-focused enterprise. The company maintained stable operations while expanding strategic emerging businesses and emphasizing high-quality development.
China Telecom actively responded to emerging digital consumption trends, upgrading its mobile network to 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and enhancing its products and services with AI, satellite, and quantum technologies. In the first quarter, its 5G network users had reached 270 million, with a penetration rate of 62.0 percent. Mobile data usage rose by 14.2 percent year-on-year, with average monthly data usage reaching 20.4GB. Fixed-line and smart home businesses also grew steadily, with gigabit broadband users accounting for about 30 percent and smart home revenue increasing by 11.5 percent year-on-year.
The company continued to leverage its strengths in cloud-network integration and technological innovation. In the first quarter, smart services, video networks, satellite communications, and quantum businesses all achieved rapid growth.
Operating costs for the quarter stood at 94.9 billion yuan. Sales expenses amounted to 13.6 billion yuan, a 3.9 percent decrease year-on-year, while administrative expenses rose to 10.4 billion yuan, up 4.7 percent year-on-year. China Telecom also increased R&D investment to 1.8 billion yuan, focusing on networks, cloud, AI, and quantum/security technologies.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
