Zhong Guo Zheng Quan Bao·2025-08-14 15:38Core Insights - The three major telecom operators in China, China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, have released their interim reports for 2025, indicating a cautious approach to capital expenditure and a focus on AI and computing investments [1][2][3] Financial Performance - China Telecom reported a revenue of 2694.22 billion yuan for the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 1.3%, with a net profit of 230.17 billion yuan, up 5.5% [3][4] - China Mobile's revenue for the same period was 5437.69 billion yuan, a decline of 0.5%, marking the first revenue drop in six years, while net profit rose by 5% to 842.35 billion yuan [8] - China Unicom achieved a revenue of 2002 billion yuan, a 1.5% increase, with a net profit of 63.49 billion yuan, up 5.1% [8] Dividend Distribution - The three operators plan a total interim dividend of approximately 742.56 billion yuan, with China Telecom distributing 165.8 billion yuan, China Mobile approximately 541.99 billion yuan, and China Unicom about 34.77 billion yuan [2][7][8] Business Transformation - The telecom operators are accelerating their business transformation, focusing on enterprise markets and new business areas due to saturation in the personal market [3][9] - China Telecom's mobile communication service revenue reached 1066 billion yuan, a 1.3% increase, while its digitalization revenue grew to 749 billion yuan, with AI-related services showing significant growth [7][10] Capital Expenditure Plans - China Mobile's capital expenditure for the first half of 2025 was 584 billion yuan, down 8.75%, with a full-year plan of 1512 billion yuan, focusing on AI and computing [11][12] - China Telecom's capital expenditure was 342 billion yuan, a 27% decrease, with a full-year plan of 836 billion yuan, emphasizing AI infrastructure [13][14] - China Unicom's capital expenditure for the first half was 202 billion yuan, down 15%, with a full-year estimate of 550 billion yuan, shifting focus towards AI and cloud investments [15] AI and Computing Focus - All three operators highlighted the importance of AI in their business strategies, with China Mobile reporting that 75% of its cloud revenue growth was driven by AI [9][11] - China Unicom plans to enhance its AI infrastructure and services, while China Telecom is transitioning to a strategy that fully embraces AI [10][14]