The China government began to implement the Broadband China policy in 2013 and consequently fiber-optic infrastructure has been widely established. The number of FTTH subscribers quickly increased to 227.7 million as of the end of 2016, accounting for 76.6% of all fixed-line broadband Internet-access subscribers, according to Digitimes Research.
Of the 227.7 million FTTH subscribers, 61 million lived in rural areas, hiking 90% on year, Digitimes Research indicated. In comparison, the number of xDSL subscribers shrank to 19.8 million at the end of 2016, decreasing 60.6% on year.
In addition to fast growth in FTTH user base, the proportion of fixed-line broadband Internet-access subscribers using download speeds of 20Mbps and above increased to 77.8% at the end of 2016.
The fast growth in FTTH user base was mainly due to China Mobile's active promotion. China Mobile obtained an operating license much later than China Telecom and China Unicom, but its subscribers outnumbered China Unicom's in October 2016.
For fixed-line broadband access, the China government will focus on increasing coverage around China and enhancing infrastructure construction in rural areas.
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