In July 2014, the world’s largest towerco China Tower Corporation (CTC) was formed to drive infrastructure sharing, also known as “co-build, co-share” in China. With the approval of the General Office of the State Council and led by State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the three MNOs transferred all their tower assets to the joint venture. Since then, the roughly 200 independent towercos in China have been experiencing challenging market dynamics relegating them to an awkward position; occupying a grey space as if their existence may not be permitted.
China’s independent towercos fight for legitimacy and a fair competitive market
