China Telecom Delivers RMB26.20 Billion Profit on RMB382.40 Billion Revenue in First Three Quarters of 2026

China Telecom Corporation Limited reported operating revenue of RMB382.40 billion for the nine months ended 30 September 2026, a year-on-year decline of 3.7%. Revenue from principal businesses came in at RMB359.30 billion, while EBITDA reached RMB108.00 billion, yielding an EBITDA margin of 28.3%.

Profit attributable to equity holders fell 14.8% year on year to RMB26.20 billion, translating into basic earnings per share of RMB0.29. Net profit margin stood at 6.9%.

Total assets edged up 1.0% from end-2025 to RMB879.46 billion, and equity attributable to shareholders increased 0.7% to RMB463.88 billion. The balance sheet remains in a net cash position, with cash, cash equivalents and bank deposits of RMB71.64 billion against total interest-bearing debt of RMB8.52 billion.

Operating cash flow rose 12.6% year on year to RMB98.44 billion. After capital expenditure of RMB43.96 billion, the group generated approximately RMB54.48 billion in free cash flow. Cash and cash equivalents declined to RMB35.82 billion from RMB61.39 billion at the start of the year, reflecting higher investments in financial assets and dividend payments.

Mobile subscribers increased to 445.27 million, with net additions of 6.62 million—about half the growth recorded a year earlier. 5G network users expanded by 28.58 million to 330.39 million, while wireline broadband customers inched up 0.37 million to 201.49 million.

Management highlighted continued execution of its “Cloudification, Digital Transformation and AI for Good” strategy. Communications Business revenue contributed RMB313.10 billion, and the expanding Intelligence Business—covering computing power, platforms, data, models and applications—generated RMB46.20 billion. The group is accelerating deployment of next-generation communications and computing power networks and scaling its AI-driven TokenHub platform to underpin new revenue streams.

The board reaffirmed its goal of evolving into a service-, technology- and security-oriented enterprise, emphasizing R&D commercialisation and the build-out of a Five-Sphere Integrated intelligent cloud system to enhance competitiveness and create long-term shareholder value.