China Telecom is one of the networks your eSIM may use in China. Here is who actually decides which network you get, and what to do with that.
Quick answer
China Telecom shut down its CDMA2000 (3G) network in December 2023; its current mobile service runs on 4G LTE and 5G.
| Item | China Telecom |
|---|---|
| LTE (4G) | B1, B3, B5 |
| 5G NR | n78 |
| 5G launched | 2019 |
| 3G | Shut down |
| Network code (MCC-MNC) | 460-11 |
Checked against the sources on 2026-10-12. Only the bands a source confirmed are listed; the network may run others too.
An eSIM can only use China Telecom if your phone supports at least one band in this table. Before you fly, open your model's spec page on the maker's site and compare its LTE and 5G band lists.
Mobile networks in China are licensed, and their spectrum assigned, by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The bands above are the ones it allocates. A problem with the local network's own service goes to the operator first; a problem with your eSIM plan comes to us.
From the supplier record behind each package, 34 of the 103 plans we currently sell for China declare China Telecom as a network the profile can reach, at 4G and 5G. The figure comes from the same catalogue that prices the plan pages, and it moves when the supplier revises the record.
| Network | LTE bands | 5G bands |
|---|---|---|
| China Telecom | B1, B3, B5 | n78 |
| China Mobile | B1, B3, B8, B39, B40, B41 | n40, n41, n78 |
| China Unicom | B1, B3, B8, B40 | n78 |
A band shared across networks is one a single phone can use on all of them.
Nearly every travel eSIM is a roaming product: the profile picks a network by an order the supplier sets, not by the buyer. If China Telecom is weak where you are, try selecting China Mobile or China Unicom manually in the network settings, and keep data roaming on for the eSIM profile.
34 of our plans name China Telecom as reachable, but that is not a guarantee. Travel plans run over roaming agreements, so the network depends on the supplier behind the plan, your device and where you are.
At least one of these, LTE: B1, B3, B5; 5G: n78. Your phone's band list is on the maker's spec page for your model, under "Cellular" or "Network".
Yes. China Telecom has run commercial 5G since 2019, on n78. A travel plan only gets it when the plan permits 5G, your phone supports one of those bands, and you are inside 5G coverage. Miss any one and you fall back to 4G.
Check the carrier name at the top of the screen, or open the mobile-network settings and look at the operator list. If signal is poor, try selecting a network manually instead of automatic, but only one your plan actually supports.
Porsch Kunnipat Siramanakul
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Ranked by our value score. Each plan page lists the networks its supplier declares.
China Unicom / China Telecom
Exits in Singapore · China Unicom / China Telecom
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
3 countries · partner networks
China, Hong Kong, Macau
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
China Unicom / China Telecom
Exits in Singapore · China Unicom / China Telecom
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
3 countries · partner networks
China, Hong Kong, Macau
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
China Unicom / China Telecom
Exits in Singapore · China Unicom / China Telecom
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
China Unicom / China Telecom
Exits in Singapore · China Unicom / China Telecom
Validity starts on first connection at the destination
