.svg){kind=logo} | |||||
Native name | 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company type | State-owned enterprise | ||||
| ISIN | HK0000049939  | ||||
| Industry | Telecommunications | ||||
| Founded | 18 June 1994; 31 years ago (1994-06-18)[1] | ||||
| Founder |
| ||||
| Headquarters | Xicheng, Beijing, China | ||||
Area served | |||||
| Products | |||||
| Revenue | 292,185,290,000 renminbi (2018) | ||||
| Owner | Central People's Government (100%) | ||||
Number of employees | 244,508[2] (2023) | ||||
| Subsidiaries |
| ||||
| ASN | |||||
| Traffic Levels | 10-20 Tbps[3] | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
| Footnotes / references data obtained from China United Network Communications Ltd. (the accounts of the parent company was not disclosed); inconsolidated financial statement; excluding minority interests tored chip minority shareholders[1] | |||||
| China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國聯合網絡通信集團有限公司 | ||||||
| |||||||
| China Unicom | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国联通 or 联通 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中國聯通 or 聯通 | ||||||
| |||||||
| China Unicom Group | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 联通集团 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 聯通集團 | ||||||
| |||||||
China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd.,doing business asChina Unicom, is a Chinesestate-ownedtelecommunications operator. Originally founded in 1994 as awireless paging andGSMmobile operator, it currently provides a range of services including mobile network, long-distance & local calling, data communication, Internet services,digital television, andIP telephony. As of 2022, China Unicom is thethird-largest wireless carrier in China and the sixth largest mobile provider in the world.[4]
China Unicom, then known in Chinese as中国联合通信有限公司 (Zhōngguó liánhé tōngxìn yǒuxiàn gōngsī), was founded as astate-owned enterprise in 1994[4] by theMinistry of Railways, the Ministry of Electronics and the Ministry of Electric Power Industry;[5] the establishment was approved by theState Council in December 1993.[5]
China Unicom was among six state-owned companies that built the communications infrastructure and assisted in financing theMinistry of Industry and Information Technology's Connecting Every Village Project, which began in 2004.[6]: 24–25 The project aimed to promote universaltelecommunications andinternet access inrural China.[6]: 24–25 The program successfully extended internet infrastructure throughout rural China and promoted development of the internet.[6]: 25
China Unicom has operated aCDMA network inMacau since October 18, 2006[7] and internet services inNorth Korea since 2010.[8] As of the end of April 2008[update], the company had 125 million GSM subscribers and 43 million CDMA subscribers.[9] As of November 2008 the CDMA operations have been moved toChina Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom Group).[10] On 7 January 2009, China Unicom was awardedWCDMA license to expand its business to3G telecommunication.[11]UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) was launched in major cities across China on May 17, 2009.[citation needed]
On July 11, 2020, China Unicom joined hands withLu Han to launch the "FuLu Companion Card", which sounded the forward number for the further development of 5G. LuHan also officially unlocked his new identity and became a "China Unicom Innovation Partner", with the "FuLu companion card" to bring exclusive benefits and surprises to the majority of Unicom users.[12]
In February 2000 a subsidiary "China Unicom Hong Kong" wasincorporated inHong Kong and was listed on theHong Kong Stock Exchange on June 22, 2000.[citation needed]
The intermediate parent company "China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited" was "China Unicom (BVI) Limited", As of 31 December 2001[update], the BVI company owned 77.47% shares of China Unicom (H.K.). In turn, China Unicom (H.K.) owned the operating subsidiaries of the group. In 2002, another intermediate parent company "China United Network Communications Limited" was established in Shanghai (headquartered in Beijing), to own 51% stake of "China Unicom (BVI) Limited" as well as listing the shares in theShanghai Stock Exchange.[13] As of 31 December 2002[update], state-owned China Unicom Group owned 74.6% shares of the A share company,[14]: 8 in turn the A share company owned 73.84% of the BVI company.[14]: 23 The BVI company owned 77.47% shares of thered chip company.[15] To sum up, the Chinese Government via A share company, owned 42.67% stake of the operating subsidiaries, as well as additional 20.27% stake by the minority stake in the BVI company.
On June 2, 2008, China Unicom announced its intention to sell its CDMA business and assets to China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom Group) for a combined total of 110 billion RMB[10] and to merge the remainder of the company,[16][non-primary source needed] in a share swap valued at US$56.3 billion (based on Unicom's stock last traded price) on June 2, 2008, withChina Netcom.[17] The CDMA business was officially moved to China Telecom in early November.[citation needed]
In July 2009, China Unicom signed a $700 million deal with infrastructure vendorEricsson to upgrade the company's GSM network.[citation needed]
In April 2012, China Unicom was a founding member in the formation of Cloud Computing Industry Alliance inBeijing. Other members of the alliance includeBaidu,Tencent, andAlibaba.[18][19]
In 2009, China Unicom (Hong Kong) agreed to a US$1 billion cross-holding with Spain'sTelefónica.[20] In January 2011, the two partners agreed a further US$500 million tie-up in each other, which following completion in late 2011, Telefónica will hold a 9.7% shares in China Unicom (H.K.), while the red chip company will own 1.4% shares of the Spanish firm.[21] The companies also agreed to deepen their cooperation in areas such as procurement, mobile service platforms, service to MNC's wholesale carriers, roaming, technology, among others, where both companies have been cooperating since the signature of their strategic alliance agreement.[22][23]
In June 2012, China United Network Communications Group (China Unicom Group), the ultimate parent company of Hong Kong listed company "China Unicom (Hong Kong)", had agreed to buy back about 1.1 billion shares (approx. 4.6% of the share capital) of the red chip company from Telefónica for an approx. HK$11 billion. (HK$10.21 per share; bynarrow band floating exchange rate approx. US$1.4 billion), via an unlisted subsidiary "China Unicom Group Corporation (BVI) Limited". Immediate after the deal, Telefónica still owned 5% of China Unicom (H.K.).[24][25] In 2014 Telefónica sold a further 2.5% shares of "China Unicom (H.K.)" for HK$6.66 billion (HK$11.14 per share).[26]: 379
During year 2016, Telefónica sold a further 1.51% shares of "China Unicom (H.K.)" for HK$2.822 billion (HK$7.8 per share),[26]: 379 [27] As of 31 December 2016[update] Telefónica owned 1% shares of the red chip company (decreased from 2.51% year-to-yearly), as well as Telefónica's directorCésar Alierta, still served as a director of "China Unicom (H.K.)".[26]: 62
In 2017 China Unicom became one of the pilot projects of the mixed-ownership reform of the Chinese state-owned enterprise, which saw a decrease in the Government's ownership.[28]
In 2017 the Class A listed company of the group introduced ten strategic investors: state-controlledChina Structural Reform Fund, state-controlled listed companyChina Life Insurance, a private equity fund (Chinese:腾讯信达有限合伙企业;lit. 'Tencent–Cinda Limited Partnership') that was owned byChina Cinda Asset Management and a company related toTencent,[nb 2] a private equity fund partially owned byBaidu[nb 3] andIndustrial Bank (Chinese:百度鹏寰投资合伙企业), a private equity fund that related toJD.com (Chinese:京东三弘企业管理中心;lit. 'Jingdong Sanhong'),[nb 4] a public company Ali Venture Capital (Chinese:阿里创业投资),[nb 5] a public companySuning Commerce Group and three minor private equity funds that was subscribed by companies such asKuang-Chi andCRRC Group.[34][35]
In the same year, the fund raised by the A share company was injected to the Hong Kong incorporatedred chip company, via "China Unicom (BVI) Limited", for HK$13.24 per share (for a maximum of 6.64 billion share / HK$88 billion).[36]
In October 2019, a group of U.S. senators urged theFederal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to divest U.S. pension money from any investment in China Unicom for providing telecommunications services todisputed artificial islands in the South China Sea.[37] In August 2020, theUnited States Department of Defense published a list of companies operating directly or indirectly in the United States with ties to thePeople's Liberation Army. China Unicom was included on the list.[38][39]
In October 2020, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) requested theUnited States Department of Justice report whether China Unicom poses a "national security risk".[40]
In November 2020, theU.S. President issued anexecutive order prohibiting U.S. companies and individuals owning stocks that the United States Department of Defense deemed to have links to the People's Liberation Army - which included China Unicom.[41][42] In consequence of the order, theNew York Stock Exchange delisted China Unicom in January 2021.[43]
In March 2021, the FCC initiated proceedings to revoke China Unicom's authorization to operate in the U.S. due to "national security" concerns.[44] In January 2022, the FCC revoked China Unicom's authorization to operate in the United States, giving it 60 days to cease providing telecommunications services.[45] In September 2022, the FCC added China Unicom to a list of companies considered "national security threats".[46]
In December 2024, theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected China Unicom's challenge of the 2022 FCC revocation of its authorization to operate in the U.S.[47][48] In March 2025, the FCC opened an investigation into China Unicom and other Chinese companies regarding operations in the U.S. in violation of restrictions.[49] Also in March 2025, theUnited States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party initiated an inquiry into China Unicom and issued subpoenas for company records in April 2025.[50][51]
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, China United Network Communications Group continued its operations in Russia through its subsidiary, China Unicom (Russia) Operations Limited Liability Company, maintaining business as usual despite international sanctions and widespread corporate withdrawals.[52][53] Research from the Yale School of Management placed the company in the "Grade F" category of "Digging In," indicating that it has defied demands for exit or reduction of activities in Russia.[53]
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2022) |
China Unicom's most recent equity investments have shifted focus from traditional telecom infrastructure toward digital, cloud, and international growth.[55]
| Year | Investment Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2025 | Digital/Cloud/AI | Massive reinvestment in CDSA business, cloud, AI, IoT, 5G[56][57][58] |
| 2023 | Shareholder updates | BlackRock up to 5%, Vanguard slightly down, Capital Group stable |
| 2024 | International branches | New offices in Saudi Arabia, Peru, UAE, Uzbekistan under UniCom brand |
| 2024 | Fixed Asset Investment | Reduction to ~RMB 55 billion, focus on digital, less on new equity stakes |
In December 2020,The Guardian reported that a security researcher identified evidence of surveillance campaign against Americans by China Unicom via Caribbean mobile networks,Cable & Wireless Communications andBTC. China Unicom denied the allegations.[59]
| History |
|
|---|---|
| Pioneers |
|
| Transmission media | |
| Network topology and switching | |
| Multiplexing | |
| Concepts | |
| Types of network | |
| Notable networks | |
| Locations | |
