Brand Finance’s Telecoms 150 2026 report shows Chinese telecom brands’ value are up 4% to $76.2 billion
BEIJING, 19 March 2026 – China’s nine telecom brands recorded a 4% increase in collective brand value to USD76.2 billion this year, despite having one fewer brand in the Telecoms 150 2026 report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. China’s telecoms sector maintains its position as the third largest contributor to the ranking’s total brand value with a 10% share, trailing behind the US (24%) and Germany (13%).
China Mobile (brand value up 5% to USD49.4 billion) retains its fourth position in the global telecoms ranking for the sixth consecutive year. The brand’s performance was driven by its network expansion and the continued growth of its 5G services. As of June 2025, China Mobile deployed around two million 5G base stations, leading to more than 13 million new subscribers and bringing its total mobile user base to one billion. The brand also received a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 83.8/100 and a AAA- brand strength rating, positioning it the 23rd strongest brand in the sector.
Three more Chinese brands rank among the top 100 strongest telecoms brands in the world this year, including Chunghwa (brand value up 6% to USD4.9 billion) with a BSI score of 79.7/100, China Telecom (brand value up 4% to USD13.3 billion) with a BSI score of 73.6/100, and China Unicom (brand value up 11% to USD4 billion)with a BSI score of 66.6/100, respectively ranking 35th, 61st, and 90th for brand strength.
HKT’s (brand value up 41% to USD1.1 billion) significant brand value growth results in a 12-spot climb in the ranking, securing its position as the 80th most valuable telecoms brand globally. In line with China’s rapid development of 5G infrastructure this year, HKT became the first in Hong Kong to upgrade its mobile backhaul at Kai Tak Sports Park, the Hong Kong Coliseum, and the Hong Kong Velodrome from 10Gbps to 25Gbps, significantly improving its 5G network reliability in high-density locations.
Scott Chen, Managing Director, Brand Finance China, commented:
“China’s telecoms landscape is entering a pivotal phase in which scale alone is no longer the defining factor of competitiveness. Brands are instead differentiating through service innovation, AI‑driven customer engagement, and strategic investment in next‑generation network resilience. The strong performance of leading players like China Mobile, Chunghwa, China Telecom, and China Unicom reflects a sector that is reshaping user experience through smarter infrastructure, richer digital ecosystems, and a clear commitment to future‑ready technologies. This momentum positions China’s telecoms industry to play an even more influential role in shaping global connectivity standards in the years ahead.”
Other notable Chinese telecoms brands featured in the Brand Finance Telecoms 150 2026 include:
The Telecoms 150 2026 report offers an overview of the world’s most valuable and strongest telecoms brands by bringing together insights from multiple rankings such as the Telecom Infrastructure 10 and Internet & Software 15, which provide brand valuations of the top brands from their respective sectors.
Huawei (brand value up 10% to USD35.1 billion) maintains its prominence in the Telecoms Infrastructure 10 ranking as the most valuable brand for the 11th year in a row. The brand’s continued success can be attributed to the demand for its 5G core networks technology. The brand also ranks as the strongest in the ranking with a BSI score of 84.3/100 and an AAA- brand strength rating.
Meanwhile, Hengtong (brand value up 18% to USD1.5 billion) recorded a double-digit growth in brand value as a result of improved financial performance over the past year. The power and fibre optic cable manufacturer maintains its position as the ninth most valuable brand in the ranking, just behind ZTE (brand value down 11% to USD2.5 billion), which ranks eighth globally.
Telecoms Industry Global Insights
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
