Revenue Growth Likely to Rise in AI Digitalization Era
发布时间:2026-04-27 来源:华泰证券
China Telecom(CT)has reported 1Q26 A-share revenue of RMB131,394mn(-2.32%YoY),with service revenue down 1.6%YoY to RMB122,700mn,and attributable NP of RMB7,350mn(-17.08%YoY),below our expectation of RMB8,155mn,mainly due to slower growth in traditional businesses and VAT adjustments.We note that:1)according to MIIT,telecom service revenue fell 1.8%YoY in 1Q26,with the company’s service revenue decline slightly narrower than the industry average;2)in the long term,amid domestic AI application expansion,intelligent computing demand is growing rapidly,with China’s daily average token calls exceeding 140tn as of March 2026(+40%YoY,National Data Administration),as China Telecom Cloud accelerates its transformation towards token-based operations.We are bullish on the company’s industrial digitalization business outlook in the AI era.Maintain BUY on both.
User base steadily expanded;aiming to be aleading AI service provider
In 1Q26,CT's mobile user base increased by 1.9mn net additions from end-2025 to 441mn,with 5G users rising by 12.32mn net additions to 314mn(5G penetration:71.3%),and home broadband users increasing by 0.44mn net additions to 202mn.CT is riding the"AI+consumption"upgrade tide by accelerating the integration of connectivity,terminals,applications,and benefits to enhance intelligent supply capabilities for individual and household products/services.Driven by new AI applications,data traffic demand maintained rapid growth,with total mobile internet traffic up 17.7%YoY in 1Q26.Digitalization business maintained strong momentum,with CT Cloud revenue up 6.8%YoY and smart service revenue up 39.4%YoY.The company will continue focusing on token-based services to establish itself as aleading AI service provider.
Profitability edged down;cost control effective
In 1Q26,GPM fell by 1.35pp YoY to 28.12%,mainly due to VAT adjustments.The company continued to strengthen refined cost management,with operating expenses down 0.7%YoY to RMB123.8bn,including depreciation and amortization expenses down 1%YoY to RMB25.7bn(benefiting from the capex decline in recent years),and network operation and support expenses down 1.5%YoY to RMB39.3bn(supported by AI-enabled precise cost control and improved resource efficiency).Labor costs rose 1.6%YoY to RMB28.7bn,mainly due to increased R&D investment and incentives for R&D personnel as the company accelerates its"Cloud Reform&Digital Transformation"strategy to become aleading AI service provider.We believe that continued operating efficiency gains could enhance NPM,ROE,cash flow and,ultimately,long-term shareholder returns.
Bullish on digital business development in AI era;maintain BUY
Considering VAT tax item adjustments and slower growth in traditional business revenue,we lower our 2026/2027/2028 attributable NP forecast by 8/8/8%,bringing it to RMB28,022/29,463/30,646mn(previous:RMB30.5/32.0/33.2bn).We expect 2026/2027/2028 BVPS of RMB5.07/5.16/5.25.We are positive on China Telecom Cloud's development opportunities in the AI era and value China Telecom's A-share at 1.6x 2026E PB(global peers'average:1.5x),for our A-share target price of RMB8.11(previous:RMB8.16 on 1.6x 2026E PB).Based on the average A-/H-share premium of 33.90%over the past month,we value the H-share at 1.19x 2026E PB,for atarget price of HKD6.88(previous:HKD6.92,based on an A-/H-share premium of 34.05%).Maintain BUY on both.
Risks:1)Slower ARPU improvement than we expect,2)5G-related capex exceeding our expectations,3)intensified competition,4)a more conservative dividend policy.