Number portability has been implemented for nearly three years. Who is the winner of the three major operators?
2021.09.17
Starting from November 10, 2019, the "number porting to
network" operation officially started. The so-called number portability is
to keep the original number and transfer packages and services to another
operator. This removes the original practice of binding the number to the
operator for life, and makes the user's choice more flexible. For example, the
original users of China Mobile can continue to use their own numbers, but
change to China Telecom's service package.
Since my country's three major operators basically account
for most of the market share, number portability is a "war" between
China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. Under the circumstance of not
pulling new ones, the total number of users is basically fixed. If operator A
is abandoned, it must be transferred to B.
So who is the biggest winner in this three-year battle of
number portability?
Many people have answered this question with real-world
transfer operations. The number portability data for 2021 has not yet been
released. Previously, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
released a set of data: more than 17 million users have performed number
portability transition. However, it may be to avoid increasing the pressure of
public opinion. The three major operators have not announced the specific data
of the network transfer in a particularly tacit understanding.
However, as of February 2021, China Telecom's subscriber
growth was 1.78 million, while China Mobile had a negative growth of 4.749
million and China Unicom had a negative growth of 565,000. Some clues can be
seen from the user growth. China Telecom's development speed is still good, and
it is the only one of the three operators that has a positive growth.
At the same time, you can refer to the number portability
data for 2020. In May, China Telecom had a net transfer of 55,999 households,
China Mobile had a net transfer of 38,797, and China Unicom had a net transfer
of 17,202. This data is surprisingly consistent with the user growth trend in
2021. Therefore, we have reason to speculate: China Telecom has been the
biggest winner in the three years of number portability. At the same time,
China Mobile is clearly at a disadvantage in the "War of the Three
Kingdoms".
Then we can conclude: China Telecom will win? China Mobile
will lose?
In fact, it may not be true. China Mobile has the largest
user base. Whether it is mountainous or high-speed, the quality of telephone
communication is significantly better, and it has obvious advantages in terms
of tariffs and discounts. On the Internet, there are many cases where mobile
users regret switching to telecommunications. In addition, China Mobile’s
procedures and high barriers for switching to the Internet have discouraged
many people.
Someone complained that China Mobile actually charged a
"breakup fee" for number portability.)
Although China Mobile has a high probability of being
complained, among the three, China Unicom is still the most
"disgusting". In particular, China Unicom's poor signal problem has
almost become a national consensus.
(China Unicom is accused of being the bottom of the three
major operators in many respects)
With the arrival of the 5G era, the three operators will
usher in another fierce battle. It can be predicted that whoever wins the 5G
hill will get more new and old customers. The battle of number portability is
not over yet. Which one do you think is best to use, China Mobile, China
Unicom, or China Telecom?