China's Telecom Titans Bet Big on AI Tokens: The Next Gold Rush?

China's telecom industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Gone are the days when selling voice minutes and mobile data reigned supreme. Now, the new buzzword is AI tokens.

From Minutes to Tokens

This week, China's telecom giants, including China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom, announced their strategic pivot toward token-based services. It's a bold move, signaling a shift away from the age-old price wars over data packages to fresh growth opportunities tied to AI services and tokenized consumption models.

China Telecom is leading the charge. On Monday, they unveiled a series of token packages. For consumers, plans start at just 9.9 yuan ($1.40) a month for 10 million tokens. For developers and small businesses, professional-tier plans go as high as 299.9 yuan ($42) with a token allowance up to 150 million. The takeaway? They're not just dipping their toes in the water.

China Mobile's Regional Gambit

China Mobile isn't sitting idly by. They're taking a regional approach, with initiatives like an AI-native workspace platform in Shanghai in partnership with Tencent. Imagine getting 400,000 tokens for just 1 yuan ($0.14) through mobile billing. Meanwhile, in Beijing, computing power add-on packages start at 5.99 yuan ($0.84).

At the 2026 Mobile Cloud Conference, China Mobile launched their New Computing Power Momentum initiative. Teaming up with tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba, they've integrated roughly 300 AI models. Their promise? To cut per-token costs by 30%. It's aggressive, sure, but could it redefine the market?

China Unicom's Focus on AI Scenarios

China Unicom is zeroing in on emerging AI-driven scenarios. In Shanghai, they're offering one-person companies a trial of 30 million tokens, bundling them with AI cloud desktops. Over in Hubei, tiered token packages range from 6 million to 18 million tokens, priced between 7.5 yuan ($1.05) and 359 yuan ($50.30).

The numbers are staggering. China's average daily token usage soared from 100 billion at the start of 2024 to 140 trillion by March 2026. That's a mind-boggling increase of over 1,000 times in just two years. It begs the question: Are we witnessing the birth of a new digital economy?

These telecom giants are no longer just connectivity providers. they're evolving into service platforms for a burgeoning token economy. The competition for this trillion-yuan market is heating up. But can they truly transform an entire industry reliant on traffic monetization?