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Launch Dates of eSIM Services by China Mobile and China Unicom
China Unicom esim
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November 2017: China Unicom first launched eSIM services in seven cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou, Changsha, and Wuhan.
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May 2018: The company officially launched the "eSIM One Number, Dual Terminal" service in the same seven cities.
China Mobile esim
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June 1, 2018: China Mobile launched its "eSIM One Number, Dual Terminal" service in seven cities: Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu.
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January 23, 2019: The company began a trial run of the eSIM One Number, Dual Terminal service.
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October 2022: China Mobile officially launched its eSIM service, allowing users to apply through online or offline methods.
- The latest progress of China Mobile's ESIM in 2025: Pilot Phase
The difference between China Mobile ESIM and China Unicom ESIM：
| Province | China Mobile Signal Coverage | China Unicom Signal Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Guangdong | 5G dual-layer network (2.6G + 700M) coverage in all townships and above; continuous 5G coverage within 20km offshore. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, covering all counties and above. |
| Beijing | Extensive 5G coverage with excellent network quality in key areas. | Large-scale 5G base station construction with high-quality networks; high FTTR (Fiber to the Room) adoption in some areas. |
| Shandong | Fast 5G base station construction with wide coverage. | 48,000 5G base stations; 5,000 5G base stations in administrative villages; Jinan, Qingdao, and Rizhao are fully built as gigabit cities. |
| Jiangsu | 5G coverage in all townships and above. | 58,000 5G base stations, shared with China Telecom. |
| Zhejiang | 5G coverage in all townships and above. | 30,000 5G base stations; fiber-to-the-home coverage exceeds 10 million households. |
| Hebei | Excellent network quality in cities like Shijiazhuang and Handan. | Large-scale 5G base station construction with high-quality networks. |
| Henan | Extensive 5G coverage with continuous coverage in all townships and above. | 40,015 5G base stations; population coverage rate reaches 56%. |
| Sichuan | Extensive 5G coverage with continuous coverage in all townships and above. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, covering all counties and above. |
| Guizhou | Extensive 5G coverage with continuous coverage in all townships and above. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, with "trigigabit" network access capability in urban areas. |
| Shanghai | Extensive 5G coverage with excellent network quality in key areas. | 25,000 5G base stations with high-quality networks. |
| Liaoning | Extensive 5G coverage with continuous coverage in all townships and above. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, with excellent network quality. |
| Heilongjiang | Over 21,000 5G base stations, achieving full coverage in all townships and above. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, with gradually expanding coverage. |
| Inner Mongolia | Fast 5G base station construction with wide coverage. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, with gradually expanding coverage. |
| Shanxi | 23,000 5G base stations, achieving continuous coverage in all townships and above. | 5G base stations are shared with China Telecom, with gradually expanding coverage. |
| Other Provinces | China Mobile's 5G coverage is extensive nationwide, especially in rural and remote areas, with continuous coverage in most townships and above. | China Unicom performs strongly in northern provinces, especially in major cities and transportation corridors. Southern provinces are gradually improving coverage through shared construction. |
