State-owned China Tower is the world’s largest tower operator, according to Inside Towers Intelligence. China Tower’s primary Telecommunications Service Providers (TSP) business refers to its core operations providing infrastructure and services primarily to China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.
As of December 2024, China Tower owned and managed over 2.09 million towers, up two percent year-over-year. In 2024, the TSP business accounted for 86 percent of China Tower’s $13.6 billion revenues.
China Tower operates its vast portfolio of telecommunications towers on a shared infrastructure basis with TSPs. This model reduces costs and encourages colocation, where multiple TSPs share the same tower. During 2024, China Tower’s TSP tenants together constructed 412,000 5G base stations bringing the total number of 5G base stations to close to 2.8 million for a tenancy ratio of 1.72.
China Tower’s Distributed Antenna System (DAS) business is a significant component of the TSP operations. The towerco relies on DAS solutions to enhance indoor and specialized coverage, such as in subways, tunnels, and large venues.
In 2024, the company extended 5G coverage with DAS inside large buildings covering a total of 136.5 billion sq ft, an increase of 27.2 billion sq ft from the end of 2023. China Tower provided DAS for 5G coverage in 8,156 miles of subway tunnels, adding 933 miles in 2024. It also added 2,235 miles for a total coverage of 10,059 miles in high-speed railway tunnels.
At year-end 2024, China Tower reported that its DAS business generated nearly $1.2 billion in revenue, marking an 18 percent YoY increase.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor
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