Shanghai, Feb 8, 2026, 05:40 (GMT+8) — The market is now closed.
- China Mobile’s Class A shares in Shanghai ended at 95.11 yuan, slipping 0.26%.
- China Mobile and its two largest competitors have rolled out a satellite short messaging service built on BeiDou, state media reported, targeting situations where terrestrial networks can’t reach.
China Mobile’s Class A shares (600941.SS) edged down 0.26% on Friday, closing at 95.11 yuan. The stock moved within a range of 94.83 to 95.75 yuan throughout the session, according to AAStocks data.
Mainland exchanges are closed this weekend, so investors on Monday will be watching for any momentum from the new satellite texting launch, as well as indications the sector can hold up its margins despite tax pressure. China Mobile’s A shares, for reference, are yuan-denominated and trade on the domestic market.
China Space-Time Information, the state-owned BeiDou services operator, has teamed up with China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom to offer text messaging through BeiDou satellites on supported handsets, China Daily said. According to the report, users keep their current SIM cards and phone numbers. The service is marketed as a backup for users in places like the wilderness, at sea, or during emergencies.
Friday saw the Shanghai Composite Index slip 0.25% to close at 4,065.58, according to data from the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
The Shenzhen Component Index slipped 0.33%, according to state media, as a risk-off mood dominated the close and defensive telecom stocks failed to distinguish themselves.
Tax issues are also weighing on operators. In an HKEX filing, China Mobile flagged a new Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration notice that shifts handset data traffic, SMS/MMS, and broadband connection services—including those delivered via satellite—from the “value-added telecommunications services” bucket to “basic telecommunications services.” That bumps the VAT rate up to 9% from 6%, starting Jan. 1, 2026. China Mobile warned the adjustment will hit both revenue and profit, and told investors to be cautious.
Piyush Choudhary, who heads Asia telecoms at HSBC, said in a note the revenue streams in question could account for up to half of operators’ 2026 top line. If operators pass 20% of the VAT hike onto end users, he estimates net profit might drop by about 6% at China Mobile, with sharper hits of around 12% at China Telecom and 13% at China Unicom.
Traders are now juggling a pair of questions: is the BeiDou satellite messaging feature mostly about safety, or could it actually drive pricier plans? And in a regulated, crowded market, can prices even budge?
But there’s a risk on the other side. Should adoption lag—whether because only a handful of phones support it or people mostly ignore the service unless they really need it—earnings could remain unchanged. All the while, the higher tax rate would still weigh on core traffic and messaging revenue.
The real pressure point for China Mobile lands Monday, Feb. 9, as Shanghai trading reopens. Investors will be eyeing how the A shares stack up against China Telecom and China Unicom following the satellite messaging news — and watching closely if chatter around tax pass-through comes up again.
