China Mobile has announced the shortlisted candidates for its 2026–2027 bulk procurement of standard optical-fiber cables, a tender valued at RMB 7.0998 billion (approximately US$977 million, pre-tax).
The procurement was structured as a share-based bidding process, with the number of winners set between 1 and 18. Ultimately, 18 suppliers made the cut, with the industry's "Big Four" claiming the top shares: Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable took 10.07%, Hengtong Optoelectronics 9.90%, while both ZTT and FiberHome Communications secured 9.42% each.
The tender included a ceiling price of RMB 7.0998 billion (exclusive of tax); any bid above that cap would be automatically rejected. Notably, 17 of the 18 finalists quoted exactly the same price—the maximum allowed—with only one bid coming in slightly below the limit.
According to the bid documents, the procurement covers approximately 2.1618 million sheath-kilometers of standard optical cable, equivalent to 69.222 million fiber-core kilometers.
The project was first tendered on July 8 but failed to attract sufficient bids due to the perceived low price cap. It was relaunched on August 10 with the ceiling raised by about 8.5%, from RMB 6.543 billion to RMB 7.0998 billion, and the number of winning slots expanded from 6–18 to 1–18.
Judging by the quoted prices, major manufacturers—facing a global supply crunch driven by AI infrastructure buildout—appeared to hope for higher margins, yet ultimately cooperated with China Mobile's bidding terms. Although the price cap remains below market rates, industry observers say China Mobile has shown considerable flexibility, and the sheer volume of the order is expected to fill production lines across leading cable makers.