Mobile Optical Cable Procurement

China Mobile's 2025–2026 optical cable procurement highlights top suppliers, tender volumes, pricing trends, and technical considerations for mobile and data network deployments.

Centralized Procurement Overview

China Mobile, the world's largest purchaser of optical fiber, conducted its 2025–2026 centralized procurement for outdoor optical cables, including loose-tube and drop cables. The total tender covered 98.8 million fiber-kilometers (F-km), with 27 bids submitted and 14 companies ultimately awarded contracts . The procurement emphasizes not only price but also production capacity, product quality, delivery reliability, R&D strength, and ESG performance, reflecting a shift toward value-added supplier differentiation .

Key Suppliers and Market Shares

• ZTT led the tender with a 19.36% share (19.1M F-km) at a bid value of RMB 5,416 million, pricing at RMB 54.80/F-km including VAT .
• Hengtong followed with 15.48% (15.3M F-km) at RMB 53.94/F-km.
• YOFC and FiberHome secured 13.55% and 11.61%, respectively.
• The top four suppliers collectively accounted for 60% of the tender, reaffirming their dominant positions in the Chinese optical cable market . This procurement scale represents a 19.3% year-on-year increase, reflecting growing demand driven by domestic 5G network expansion and international FTTH deployments .

Pricing Trends

The tender indicates stabilizing and slightly rising prices for optical cables. The maximum bid limit for ordinary optical cables is approximately 9.86 billion yuan, with a single-core-kilometer price limit of 69.3 yuan, up 0.6% from 2020 . This trend is influenced by upstream raw material costs and strong demand from both domestic and international markets.

Technical Considerations for Mobile and Data Networks

For high-density mobile and data center applications, MPO (Multi-Fiber Push-On) cables are increasingly used. Key procurement considerations include :

• Fiber alignment and base count: Base-8 for 400G/800G and Base-16 for emerging 1.6T architectures to maximize fiber utilization.
• Cable jacketing: Selection of plenum (OFNP) or riser (OFNR) ratings in North America, or Euroclass ratings (B2ca/Cca) in Europe, depending on installation environment.
• Trunk vs. patch cords: Trunk cables provide permanent infrastructure connections, while patch cords connect active equipment within racks.
• Exact length requirements: Pre-terminated MPO cables must be ordered to precise lengths to avoid slack management issues.
• Contamination control: MPO connectors require careful handling to maintain optical performance.

Strategic Implications

• Suppliers with strong R&D, ESG compliance, and delivery reliability are favored over purely low-cost competitors.
• The procurement reflects China Mobile's focus on long-term network quality and sustainability, aligning with global trends in green and low-carbon development .
• For buyers, understanding technical standards, fiber utilization, and installation environment is critical to optimize network performance and cost efficiency. In summary, mobile optical cable procurement, particularly at the scale of China Mobile, involves a combination of strategic supplier selection, pricing analysis, and technical specification adherence, with MPO cables playing a key role in modern high-speed network deployments.