China Mobile Limited is the leading telecommunications service provider in mainland China and the world's largest mobile network operator by customer base and revenue. While traded as a public company, it is a state-owned enterprise, with its ultimate controlling shareholder being the Chinese government.
Operations and market position
Massive network and customer base: The company has the world's largest network and customer base, with over 1 billion mobile customers and hundreds of millions of wireline broadband customers as of mid-2025.
Dominant market share: China Mobile holds a majority of the wireless market in China, along with a significant share of the fixed-line broadband market.
Comprehensive services: Its business includes mobile voice and data, wireline broadband, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and other information and communication services.
Strategic focus: China Mobile is shifting its strategy from a traditional communication provider to an information services and technology innovation enterprise, focusing on digital-intelligent transformation.
Recent developments (2024–2025)
International rebrand: The company launched a refreshed international brand, "CMobile," with a blueprint for global expansion and increased international cooperation.
Advanced 5G network: China Mobile is actively deploying and commercializing advanced 5G (5G-A) networks, which offer speeds up to 10 times faster than standard 5G. In March 2024, it initiated a commercial rollout in over 300 cities across China.
Expansion into AI: The company is positioning itself as a new AI infrastructure supplier, having developed its own foundation models and launched an "AI+" initiative. It is providing computing resources to developers and creating an open AI ecosystem.
Expansion of services: The company has invested in its Intelligent Computing Center in Harbin and launched innovative projects like an all-optical inter-provincial backbone network and experimental satellites carrying satellite-borne base stations.
Continued growth: For the first half of 2025, China Mobile reported operating revenue of RMB 543.8 billion. For the first three quarters of 2025, it announced steady growth in mobile customers (over 1 billion), 5G network customers (over 622 million), and wireline broadband customers (over 328 million).
Geopolitical challenges
US delisting: In 2021, the New York Stock Exchange initiated a delisting process for China Mobile due to a US executive order targeting companies with alleged ties to the People's Liberation Army.
National security concerns: Canada forced China Mobile to cease operations of its international arm in 2021, and the US Federal Communications Commission designated its US subsidiary a national security threat in 2022. These concerns continued into 2025.
As of late 2025, the leadership team of China Mobile Limited features Yang Jie as the Chairman and He Biao as the Chief Executive Officer. A key executive change occurred in 2024 when He Biao was appointed CEO, succeeding Dong Xin.
Key executives
Yang Jie: Executive Director and Chairman. Appointed Chairman in 2019, he is also in charge of the company's parent, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd..
He Biao: Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. Appointed to this position in April 2024, he also serves as the President of China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd.. He succeeded Dong Xin, who was reassigned to a government post.
Li Ronghua: Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer.
Wang Limin: Executive Director.
Li Huidi: Vice President.
Zhang Dong: Vice President.
Cheng Jianjun: Vice President.
Chen Huaida: Vice President.
Board of directors
In addition to the executive directors, the company's board includes several Independent Non-Executive Directors:
Yiu Kin Wah Stephen
Yang Qiang
Lee Ka Sze Carmelo
Leung Ko May Yee Margare
