It also owned subsidiaries in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Henan and Shandong that formerly belonged to China Telecommunications Corporation.

[7][8] The company provides fixed-line and Xiaolingtong (Personal Handy-phone System) telephone services to 216 million people as of April 2008,[9][failed verification] and broadband internet access to over 38 million subscribers, providing approximately 62% (46 Gbit/s) of China's internet bandwidth.

[12] In November 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order prohibiting U.S. companies and individuals from owning shares in companies that the United States Department of Defense has listed as having links to the People's Liberation Army, which included China Telecom.

[13] In December 2020, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated proceedings to revoke China Telecom's authorization to operate in the U.S. due to national security concerns.

[16] In December 2024, the United States Department of Commerce moved to crack down on China Telecom's cloud and internet routing business in the U.S.[17] On 2 June 2008, the company announced it would acquire China Unicom's CDMA business and network for CN¥110 billion in cash, a series of transactions aimed at transforming the company into a fully integrated telecommunications operator.

The selection was formalized on 20 November after the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission junked petitions from its rival bids.