China Telecom (00728) announced interim results. Profit attributable to shareholders of 19.588 billion yuan decreased by 14.9% year-on-year

According to the Zhitong Finance App, China Telecom (00728) announced interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026. The group achieved operating revenue of RMB 26,471 billion (same unit), a year-on-year decrease of 4.05%; profit attributable to the company's shareholders was 19.588 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 14.9%; and a basic net profit of 0.21 yuan per share.

In the first half of 2026, the company's operating revenue was 26.5 billion yuan, and the main revenue was 244.1 billion yuan. The comparable level remained basically stable. Among them, communication revenue was 213 billion yuan and smart revenue was 31.1 billion yuan, up 7.1% year on year, accounting for 12.8% of revenue, up 1.1 pp year on year. Tianyi Cloud's revenue reached 61.8 billion yuan, an increase of 7.8% over the previous year. EBITDA was $74.4 billion. Net profit was 19.6 billion yuan, which maintained good growth at a comparable level. The basic net profit per share was 0.21 yuan. The capital expenditure was $32.4 billion. Free cash flow was $28.9 billion, up 121.3% year over year.

The company fully embraces artificial intelligence, fully implements the strategy of cloud transformation to digital intelligence, continues to strengthen the “Xiyang” first technology research, continues to deepen the construction of intelligent cloud systems, accelerate the construction of new digital information infrastructure, and push the construction of service-oriented, technology-based and secure enterprises to a new level.

The company focuses on enhancing scientific and technological innovation capabilities, promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, increasing the supply of high-quality technology, and enhancing the core competitiveness of enterprises. In the first half of the year, R&D expenses reached 5.21 billion yuan, an increase of 8.9% over the previous year.