The "new strategies" of the three major operators, a battle between masters of all kinds of skills?

With the belated conclusion of the 2021 China Unicom Partner Conference, the summary of operators in 2021 has also come to an end. As the most direct window for displaying achievements and cooperation and exchange platforms for the three major operators, China Mobile Global Partner Conference, Tianyi Smart Ecosystem Expo and China Unicom Partner Conference have many highlights.

At the three events, the three major operators not only showcased their latest development achievements and outstanding cases, but also released new strategic guidelines, development goals and future development plans. Under the guidance of the national policy development direction, the three operators, which are all basic telecommunications companies, have the same overall development goals, but their advantages and strategies are actually different. So, who has the better skills in this battle?

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China Telecom: Stick to the path of cloud-network integration and jointly build an industrial ecosystem

"Cloud-network integration" is one of the strategies that China Telecom has attached the most importance to in recent years. China Telecom was the first in the industry to propose that cloud-network integration should insist on the network as the foundation, the cloud as the core, the network following the cloud, and the integration of cloud and network, and actively practice it. Against the backdrop of returning to the A-share market, China Telecom has full confidence in the development of cloud-network integration this year.

The core of building an intelligent comprehensive digital information infrastructure includes high-speed ubiquity, integration of heaven and earth, cloud-network integration, intelligent and agile, green and low-carbon, and safe and controllable. At the "2021 International Digital Technology Exhibition and Tianyi Intelligent Ecosystem Expo", China Telecom Chairman Ke Ruiwen clearly stated that "cloud-network integration" is the core feature of intelligent comprehensive digital information infrastructure. At the same time, the development principles of cloud-network integration have also been condensed into 24 words: network is the foundation, cloud is the core, network follows cloud, cloud and network are integrated, safe and controllable, and green and low-carbon.

In this critical year for 5G development, 5G naturally becomes the best place for cloud-network integration. China Telecom pioneered the "three clouds" 5G network architecture in the industry; it insists on providing differentiated 5G customized network services to customers, and creates integrated customized integrated services through 5G+edge+cloud+X; it has laid out the R (research), D (development), and O (operation) research and development system, based on the basic research of key core technologies of cloud networks such as networks, AI, security, and quantum, and is committed to building a large ecosystem for industrial cooperation.

China Mobile: Combining the "Three Powers" to Create an Intelligent Computing Future

As the main force of network power, digital China and smart society, China Mobile has always positioned itself as a world-class information service technology innovation company. At the "2021 China Mobile Partner Conference", Yang Jie, Chairman of China Mobile, further clarified the strategic direction of China Mobile: focusing on the main line of "digital transformation and high-quality development", systematically building a new information infrastructure with 5G, computing power network and smart middle platform as the focus, amplifying the "pole effect" of information and communication enterprises to drive investment and promote consumption, and helping the digital economy to flourish.

China Mobile believes that by building a new information service system of "connection + computing power + capability", we can share development opportunities, prosper the digital economy, and create a smart computing future. Yang Jie once pointed out that 5G, computing power network, and smart middle platform are integrated and interconnected, and work together to form a new information service system of "connection + computing power + capability", which promotes the efficient convergence, flow, and sharing of resources and factors, promotes the realization of ubiquitous networks, ubiquitous computing power, and all-encompassing intelligence, and supports the continuous strengthening, optimization, and expansion of the digital economy.

China Unicom: A new start to focus on the digital economy

At the China Unicom Partner Conference that just ended yesterday, China Unicom Chairman Liu Liehong announced China Unicom's latest strategy. Based on the new journey, China Unicom will position the company as: the national team of digital information infrastructure operation and service, the main force in the construction of a network-strong digital China and a smart society, and the vanguard of digital technology integration and innovation.

Based on this new positioning, China Unicom upgraded its corporate strategy to the 12 words "strengthening the foundation, upholding the truth and innovating, integrating and opening up". These simple 12 words can be simply understood as practicing "basic skills", playing a good "combination punch", and playing a good "team game". Emphasize the strengthening of the network foundation and the consolidation of the service foundation; uphold the truth of networking, expand the new digitalization and intelligence, as well as the integration of factors and the integration of markets.

Under the new positioning and new strategy, China Unicom has further proposed to fully develop the main channel of the digital economy, taking "big connectivity, big computing, big data, big applications, and big security" as its main responsibilities and business, to achieve all-round transformation and upgrading of development momentum, paths, and methods, and better open up new development space and integrate into the new development pattern.

Looking at the latest strategies of the three major operators, there are both updated and iterative development concepts and brand-new strategic decisions. Each strategic decision is the optimal "solution" carefully considered and deliberated by the three operators.

Combined with the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Information and Communications Industry" issued not long ago, looking at the "14th Five-Year Plan" and even in the longer term, the difficulties and challenges faced by the three major operators will gradually increase. Not only that, how to transform from traditional business to digital development is also a "hurdle" that operators need to solve.

This year is the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan and a key year for the accelerated popularization of 5G. The pace of 5G development will accelerate in the next year, and my country's communications industry will enter a new chapter. If the latest strategic guidelines announced by operators are compared to the "KPI" for next year's development, whether they can meet the standards will be revealed one by one at the three grand events next year. For the three operators, it may be more important to do more and talk less, and be pragmatic and truthful.