The Chinese telecommunications market is showing signs of ending a long-standing era of aggressive tariff competition. One of the country's largest operators, China Unicom significantly reduced agency commissions, increased the cost of tariff packages and tightened control over SIM card sales channels.
According to Chinese media, the changes began back in June 2026 and have already significantly affected both dealers and end users.
Agent commissions reduced by more than 40%
Marketing partners China Unicom in Hangzhou, it is reported that the company has reduced the remuneration for most sales channels without prior official notice.
In particular:
- online affiliate commissions reduced by more than 40 %;
- a similar reduction affected direct sales teams;
- for individual teams additionally applied 10 % decrease;
- Some dealers were even excluded from the partner network due to alleged violation of subscriber connection rules.
According to representatives of agency companies, many partners learned about the changes after the actual recalculation of payments.
Cheap fares are disappearing
At the same time, the operator revised its tariff policy.
Internal documents indicate that China Unicom Zhejiang has discontinued sales of a number of popular packages, including:
- package Data King Premium Edition for 49 yuan;
- promotional rate of 79 yuan with a discount of 20 yuan;
- a number of long-term promotional home Internet packages.
The changes have particularly affected home broadband access.
How prices have changed
| service | It was | It became |
|---|---|---|
| Home Internet 300 Mbps | 360 yuan/year | 480 yuan/year |
| Minimum package “mobile + home internet” | 28 yuan/month | 79 yuan/month |
Actually:
- the annual cost of broadband access has increased by approximately 33 %;
- the minimum monthly wage increased by more than 180 %.
Low-cost tariffs, which have been actively promoted for years through third-party agents, are being completely removed from the market.
The reason is the deterioration of financial indicators.
According to agents, the decision is related to growing pressure on operators' profitability.
As a result first quarter of 2026 China Unicom reported:
- revenue 102,8 billion yuan, which on 0,5 % less than a year earlier;
- чистий прибуток 2,14 billion yuan, which was reduced immediately to 18 %.
This was the first time in nearly six years that the company had simultaneously recorded a decline in both revenue and profit.
Operators are closing third-party sales channels
Another step towards changing the market was the joint decision of China's three largest operators:
- China Mobile;
- China Telecom;
- China Unicom.
З August 1, 2026 they stopped issuing new SIM cards through third-party online stores and marketplaces.
Now connection is only possible through:
- official mobile applications;
- official websites of operators;
- branded communication salons.
The purpose of this solution is to strengthen control over subscriber registration, reduce fraud, and increase sales efficiency.
What is happening in Ukraine?
In Ukraine, the market is more competitive. The main players are: kyivstar, Vodafone Ukraine and lifecell — continue to compete actively, but not only on price.
In recent years, several trends can be identified:
- Gradual increase in tariffs. Due to war, inflation, rising electricity costs, and the need for backup power for base stations, operators periodically revise prices.
- Fewer “superactions”. Unlimited or very cheap packages are becoming rare. Instead, operators are adding more gigabytes, roaming, TV, cloud services, and other digital services.
- Digital sales. More and more connections are happening through mobile apps and official websites, although dealer networks continue to operate.
- Investments in the network. Significant funds are being directed towards energy independence, GPON, 4G modernization, and preparation for the upcoming 5G launch.
Are the price wars in Ukraine over?
Not completely. Ukrainian operators are no longer dumping as aggressively as they were 5–10 years ago, but competition remains high. The migration of subscribers between networks through mobile number portability (MNP) forces operators to offer personalized discounts and special rates to retain customers.
Therefore, the current struggle is not so much about the lowest price, how much for package value:
- more mobile internet;
- better coating quality;
- backup power during blackouts;
- home Internet (GPON);
- financial and digital services;
- integration of AI and digital assistants.
Tariff increases
However, average tariffs in Ukraine are constantly growing. And super-cheap tariffs have completely disappeared from operators' offers. For example, today it is impossible to find a tariff package only for phone calls to use it on push-button phones. Companies offer tariffs with only a few gigabytes.
But at the same time, operators are really increasing investments in network quality instead of dumping, constantly building new and repairing old base stations, implementing 4G everywhere, and increasingly creating test zones for 5G networks.
In addition, convergent packages ("mobile communications + home Internet + TV + cloud services") are being intensively developed.
HiTech Expert Take
In any case, a scenario similar to the Chinese one — where cheap tariffs practically disappear and sales are transferred almost entirely to official channels — is unlikely in Ukraine for now. The reason is the higher competition between the three major operators and a much lower level of state regulation of retail sales channels.
However, for the global telecom market, the Chinese trend is indicative: after many years of price competition, operators are increasingly relying not on cheap tariffs, but on the development of digital services, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and corporate solutions as the main sources of future growth.
