Destination Guides
The difference between China Mobile ESIM and China Unicom ESIM
February 2, 2026
Quick summary
Launch Dates of eSIM Services by China Mobile and China Unicom
Overview
China Unicom esim
November 2017: China Unicom first launched eSIM services in seven cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou, Changsha, and Wuhan.
May 2018: The company officially launched the
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.
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March 29, 2019: China Unicom extended its eSIM service nationwide.
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.
China Mobile network coverage
China Unicom network coverage
The information shown on the map reflects eSIM usage data from specific regions. Areas without signals indicate that no eSIM users have traveled there.
The difference between China Mobile ESIM and China Unicom ESIM：
Check the local coverage of the operator
- The latest progress of China Mobile's ESIM in 2025: Pilot Phase
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.
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