Spectrum analysis of the four major 5G operators in China, who has the best resources?

As we all know, starting from 5G, the country has changed from one major operator to four major operators, and China Radio and Television (China Radio and Television Network Co., Ltd.) has joined in and obtained a 5G license.

So let's analyze today what kind of spectrum these four 5G operators have obtained, and who has the best resources and the most advantages?

First, as shown in the figure below, the current domestic 5G spectrum can be divided into four frequency bands. The first part is 700MHz, with a bandwidth of 60M; the second part is 2.6GHz, with a bandwidth of 160M; the third part is 3.5GHz, with a bandwidth of 300M; and the third part is 4.9GHz, with a bandwidth of 160M.

At 700MHz, radio, television and mobile jointly build and share, and both parties can use this 60M bandwidth. Due to the low frequency, this part of the signal can cover a very long distance, but the network speed will not be very high and can only be used to cover a large area.

Around 2.6GHz, there is a 160M bandwidth, which is exclusive to mobile phones. The frequency of this part is much higher than 700M, so the speed will be much faster, but the coverage will be smaller.

Then at 3.5GHz, there are three frequency bands. From 3300GHz to 3400GHz, China Telecom, China Unicom and China Broadcasting Corporation are shared for 5G coverage in the air. From 3400GHz to 3500GHz, 100M is used by China Telecom, while from 3500GHz to 3600GHz is used by China Unicom.

The most widely used frequency in the world is actually the 3.5GHz stage, which is also recognized as the best quality 5G spectrum resource. At 4.9GHz, China Mobile has a bandwidth of 100M and China Broadcasting and Television has a bandwidth of 60M.

It can be said that China Mobile owns three spectrums, namely 700MHz, 2.6GHz, and 4.9GHz, with the largest bandwidth and large capacity. However, the spectrum is relatively scattered, and the construction difficulty is relatively high. At present, the most mainstream international frequency is 3.5GHz, and the spectrum obtained by China Mobile is relatively less mainstream.

The new entrant, China Radio and Television, has 700MHz, 3.5GHz indoor coverage, and 4.9GHz spectrum. The same problem is that the spectrum is fragmented, which makes construction more difficult. China Radio and Television also has experience in building and operating mobile networks, so the challenges are also great.

The spectrum near 3.5GHz obtained by China Telecom and China Unicom is the best and quite concentrated, which is relatively the best resource, but the bandwidth is limited and the capacity is small.

It can be seen that if we have to say who has the most advantageous resources, in theory it is still China Telecom and China Unicom, because the spectrum is not scattered and is the most mainstream spectrum in the world. The disadvantage is that the bandwidth is relatively small, but if it only serves the current 300 million-plus users, it is completely sufficient.