Chinese Mobile Operators Shift to AI Tokens Amid Declining Data Revenue
Chinese mobile network operators, including China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, are transitioning to a new revenue model by introducing universal artificial intelligence (AI) token plans. This shift comes as traditional connectivity services face declining revenue. The new model involves billing customers based on AI usage credits or tokens, which are used to access large language models and agent-based AI applications. According to GlobalData, AI token usage has surged significantly, reaching approximately 140 trillion tokens per day as of March 2026. This increase is attributed to the widespread adoption of large language models and agentic AI systems, which require more tokens per output compared to standard generative AI use cases. Emma Mohr-McClune, Chief Analyst for Telecoms at GlobalData, noted that while there is speculation about AI token plans potentially replacing mobile data quotas, it is too early to confirm such a shift. 
