Where is the tariff gap between the mainland and Hong Kong?

Recently, an article entitled "Mainland 4 G tariff is 6 times times Hong Kong" caused a stir. To prove "6 times times" The difference is true, the reporter named Zuo Yongjun produced the following picture. As China Telecom, Unicom and Mobile in the mainland package outflow standard rate of 0.3 yuan-0.29 yuan/m, and in Hong Kong's package of foreign capital costs of about 0.05 yuan/m, the reporter reached a difference of 6 times times the conclusion.

With the spread of the news, a large number of uninformed netizens have abused and blamed the "high fees" of three operators. But is this really the case? What is the high price of communication in China? The author has carried out a survey, the conclusion is quite different from the Zuo Yongjun reporter.

The mainland 4 G tariff is 6 times times that of Hong Kong is a rumor

As Hong Kong has to pay HK $12 per month for the use of mobile phones in Hong Kong, tunnels, mobile phone service licences and administrative fees (up from January 6, 2015 to HK $18), the charges for mobile Hong Kong companies are not HK $160 on the table.

According to the information provided by China Mobile Hong Kong Company's official website, it is promised to pay 168+12 HK $12 a month to be able to enjoy 4G Pro service, about 142 RMB. Beyond the package flow portion, it is HK $30 per 500MB Hong Kong local traffic, not Zuo Yongjun reporter said 0.05 yuan per MB. That is to say, even if the excess traffic is only 1MB, consumers will pay a cost of HK $30.

Next look at the mainland three major operators of the tariff standards, to China Telecom as an example, the author through the official website of China Telecom to find out the Zuo Yongjun reporter as an example of Le enjoy 4G 129 package, found that the actual situation and Zuo Yongjun Reporter said there is a large discrepancy. Telecom exceeds part of the flow using a ladder pricing method, 100MB below according to 0.3 Yuan MB standard to collect, if the consumer package outside the use of traffic more than 100MB, the 100th to the first 500MB traffic is free. In other words, if the amount of traffic that is used outside the consumer package is just 500MB, then he only needs to spend 30 yuan. It is not difficult to see that the actual cost of telecommunications and Zuo Yongjun Reporter said there is a large discrepancy, can be said to be a deliberate misleading.

Similar to telecommunications, Unicom is also using the ladder pricing approach, package outside the flow 0-200MB part of the 0.3 yuan MB. If the use of traffic outside the package exceeds 200MB, the No. 200 to 1024MB is free. In other words, China Unicom's package of foreign investment fee is 60 yuan/1GB, and telecommunications 30 yuan/0.5GB price in line.

As for mobile 4G package, although compared with telecom unicom is more expensive, but also the implementation of the tariff double cap policy, and the so-called difference of 6 times times.

After a simple comparison, it is not difficult to find that the so-called mainland 4 G tariff and Hong Kong 6 times times the difference is a deliberate rumor just.

Where is the tariff gap between the mainland and Hong Kong?

The simple comparison is not difficult to find, the mainland and Hong Kong, although there is a certain gap in 4G tariffs, but it is not obvious. The average netizen criticizes the inland tariff to be high, often from the Hong Kong people income is higher than the mainland, 30 HKD 0.5GB is more favorable than 30 yuan 0.5GB more preferential and so on several angles start. But is it really that simple?

To say the difference between tariffs in the mainland and Hong Kong, we have to talk about VAT. Many people have been to Hong Kong shopping, Hong Kong's electronic products are generally cheaper than the mainland, the key is that Hong Kong does not charge a 17% value-added tax. In the middle of this year, the state has made changes to the tax standards of the three major mainland operators. The three major operators from the original 3% of the sales tax to pay 6%-11% value-added tax, such high taxes naturally to the operator's costs brought great pressure. The tax on VAT, the mainland and Hong Kong tariff standards in fact, not much difference.

After saying the tax, we'll talk about the cost of network coverage. To call anytime, anywhere, we need a perfect communication network, and the cost of network construction maintenance directly determines the level of communication charges. The population is extremely dense in economically developed cities such as Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Operators only need to be in the building and other places such as large traffic site layout base station, can cover enough users. The cost of laying a base station is generally about hundreds of thousands of, the more people serve, the lower the cost per person. But in some remote rural and mountainous areas, because of the low population density, building a high power base station can only cover more than 10 families. A family of 20-30 yuan a month to pay the communication costs, a village one months can not but hundreds of yuan. A base station hundreds of thousands of cost even more than 100 years to collect back, profit is absolutely impossible. To address the problem of network coverage in these impoverished areas, operators have had to subsidize communications in remote areas with the profits of some developed cities. In other words, mobile phone users in developed regions subsidize mobile phone users in remote areas. (This is also mandatory by the State)

In retrospect, Hong Kong, although not large in size, has a 7 million per capita population. Such a high population density makes it possible for operators to cover most of Hong Kong without spending as much investment. That is why the cost per user in Hong Kong is not too high. However, Hong Kong's mobile phone tariffs and the mainland is not cheap, the huge profits in the middle of the natural into the capitalist's pockets. Against the domestic, to cover 9.6 million square kilometers of land, this investment is naturally sky-high. In real life, we see most of the country can be found in the 2G, 3G signal, some of the better network optimization of the city is even difficult to find no signal of the place. In Hong Kong, not only the use of mobile phones in the tunnels, such as the MTR, more money, in many places, such as the elevator underground garages and even no signal, this is totally unbelievable in the mainland, but it is the fact that the general iron.

How can mainland 4 G tariffs be cheaper?

Despite the pressures of such high costs and taxes, there is limited room for a relatively low mainland tariff to fall. But there is still room for 4 g tariffs in the mainland, and the key is to promote technological progress and competition. On the one hand, 4G replaces 3G to become the mainstream of people's choice, 4G as a new generation of communication technology, the cost is relatively lower than 3G. But because the state Ministry of Technology has only issued LTE licences to three operators, the LTE is very limited in the face of the lack of funds and the limited technologies of Telecom and Unicom's two operators. Because of this, the current telecom and Unicom can only rely on the cost of the more expensive 3G network to participate in the 4G competition, tariffs naturally difficult to decline. On the other hand, with a mobile monopoly of more than 95% of the 4G share, high 4G revenue makes mobile less willing to voluntarily reduce 4G tariffs, mobile instead become the highest rates of three operators. Under the combined effect of these factors, 4G tariffs in the mainland can only be maintained at the current level, it is even more difficult to fall.

It is easy to see that to make the mainland 4G tariffs cheaper, on the one hand to promote technological progress, so that three operators can use the appropriate 4G standards. On the other hand, we must break the monopoly and not allow a complete monopoly of the 4G market to continue to happen. Finally, it is necessary to improve the mechanism of communication service compensation, through the support of the state finance to the poor areas, the possibility of further reducing the communication charges. There is no doubt that there is a long way to go.