China Mobile Ltd's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of China Mobile Ltd (CHL) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: China Mobile Ltd vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 131,504M vs 44,051M combined for its competitors (74.9% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+283.2% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+56.1%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: China Mobile Ltd generated 10.4% revenue growth year over year in Q4 2021, vs -58.3% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 13.7% net margin compares with 20.2% for the peer group.
- Peer revenue share: China Mobile Ltd accounted for 88.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 73.5% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.29M compares with $0.89M for the peer group (0.3x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
CHL Sales vs. its Competitors, Q4 2021
China Mobile Ltd reported revenue growth of 10.44 % year on year in Q4 2021, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -58.26 %.
With a net margin of 13.71 %, China Mobile Ltd reported lower profitability than its competitors (20.24 %).
China Mobile Ltd generated 87.99 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 73.47 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
China Mobile Ltd vs. its Competitors, Q4 2021
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in China Mobile Ltd reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across China Mobile Ltd and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (3) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across China Mobile Ltd's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Communications Services industry grew revenue -4.9% year over year, combined, vs 10.4% for China Mobile Ltd. China Mobile Ltd's share of combined industry revenue moved from 15.26% to 17.73%, a gain of 2.47 percentage points.
China Mobile Ltd's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (5) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (3) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
CHL Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
CHL Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
CHL Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sk Telecom Co Ltd | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Kt Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Gds Holdings Limited | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Fingermotion Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for China Mobile Ltd's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Publicly Traded Peers of China Mobile Ltd
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 China Mobile Ltd |
112,656.11 | 131,503.80 |
 Gds Holdings Limited |
36,755.85 | 1,590.67 |
 Chaince Digital Holdings Inc |
3,772.80 | 274.44 |
 Fingermotion Inc |
7.09 | 7.96 |
 Sk Telecom Co Ltd |
- | 15,902.27 |
 Kt Corporation |
- | 26,275.47 |
| SUBTOTAL | 153,191.84 | 175,554.60 |
Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on China Mobile Ltd versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
China Mobile Ltd's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from China Mobile Ltd reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Fingermotion Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Vnet Group inc | Company report | 85% |
| Gds Holdings Limited | Company report | 85% |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | Company report | 85% |
| Kt Corporation | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for China Mobile Ltd's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
China Mobile Ltd's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | 112,656 | 288,211 | 39,517 |
| Gds Holdings Limited | 36,756 | 861,684 | 71,582 |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | 3,773 | 208,696 | 71,846 |
| Fingermotion Inc | 7 | 124,331 | -161,312 |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | - | 679,149 | 14,898 |
| Kt Corporation | - | 1,154,966 | 74,586 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 40,536 | 891,897 | 45,798 |
China Mobile Ltd's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Communications Services industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (121 companies). See the full Communications Services industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 84.94 % | 34.70 % (avg) | +50.2 pp |
| Operating Margin | 13.91 % | industry median | +3.2 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 16.05 % | 6.36 % (avg) | +9.7 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 23.89 % | 13.45 % (avg) | +10.4 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
China Mobile Ltd's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | -3.25 % | 3.05 % | 18.12 % |
| Operating Margin | 15.17 % | 14.68 % | 13.91 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 5.01 % | 4.51 % | 4.72 % |
| P/E | 10.7x | 8.1x | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
China Mobile Ltd's Strategic Group Map
China Mobile Ltd is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
China Mobile Ltd's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 18.1% and operating margin of 13.9% compares with an average of 17.0% growth and 12.0% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- China Mobile Ltd sits above that peer average on growth and above it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
China Mobile Ltd's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 23.89 % vs industry average 13.45 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on China Mobile Ltd's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
China Mobile Ltd's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
China Mobile Ltd falls in the Low attractiveness / High strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
China Mobile Ltd's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+283.2% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 5.1 points below the industry aggregate.
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
China Mobile Ltd's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | 0.42 | 1.02 | 0.01 |
| Gds Holdings Limited | 2.03 | 2.60 | 0.99 |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | 0.74 | 1.59 | 0.94 |
| Fingermotion Inc | 0.03 | 1.11 | 0.05 |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | 0.23 | 1.03 | 0.09 |
| Kt Corporation | 0.30 | 1.19 | 0.43 |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
China Mobile Ltd's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | Q4 2021 | +18.1 % | +15.0 % |
| Gds Holdings Limited | Q4 2025 | +10.9 % | -72.2 % |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | Q1 2026 | -38.7 % | +90.3 % |
| Fingermotion Inc | Q3 2026 | -96.7 % | - |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | Q4 2025 | +20.8 % | -65.7 % |
| Kt Corporation | Q4 2025 | +35.7 % | +468.5 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +20.4 % | +15.9 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
China Mobile Ltd's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | Q4 2021 | +40.6 % | +14.3 % |
| Gds Holdings Limited | Q4 2025 | +9.4 % | +48.2 % |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | Q1 2026 | - | - |
| Fingermotion Inc | Q3 2026 | -98.3 % | - |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | Q4 2025 | +21.0 % | +12.4 % |
| Kt Corporation | Q4 2025 | - | - |
China Mobile Ltd's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | 6.24% | 9.14% | 9.49% |
| Gds Holdings Limited | 1.16% | 0.89% | 3.46% |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | 3.75% | 4.20% | 7.94% |
| Fingermotion Inc | - | - | - |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | 1.25% | 1.59% | 2.90% |
| Kt Corporation | 4.24% | 5.85% | 9.40% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
China Mobile Ltd's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| China Mobile Ltd | 6.26 | 0.86 |
| Gds Holdings Limited | 40.64 | 23.11 |
| Chaince Digital Holdings Inc | 73.57 | 13.75 |
| Fingermotion Inc | 8,106,479,329,266,893.00 | 0.89 |
| Sk Telecom Co Ltd | 6.78 | - |
| Kt Corporation | 5.12 | - |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 7.55 | 0.87 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.