Basic energy for the era of large models is becoming accessible to the general public. During the World Telecommunication Day, the three major domestic telecom operators officially entered the market, packaging the smallest unit of AI large model processing, Token (word unit), into monthly packages similar to mobile data packages, supporting direct payment with phone credit and cross-platform compatibility.
This move breaks down the previous barriers of exclusive model billing by internet giants. Using their powerful computing networks, the three operators enable ordinary users, developers, and small and micro enterprises to purchase AI basic computing power as simply and conveniently as recharging phone credit or buying data packages.
Starting at 9.9 yuan, cross-platform multi-model compatibility
China Telecom was the first to launch a nationwide trial commercial package, offering light, smooth, and premium services for individuals and families, with the lowest monthly fee starting at 9.9 yuan. For developers and small and medium enterprises with higher demands, it designed an ultimate package costing up to 299.9 yuan per month, providing up to 150 million Tokens per month.
China Mobile adopted a provincial approach, implementing different strategies in different provinces. For example, Shanghai Mobile introduced an extremely flexible pricing model of 1 yuan for 400,000 Tokens, while Beijing Mobile launched a package of 24.99 yuan for 10 million Tokens, and provided significant discounts for existing cloud PC users.
Operators accelerating transformation to computing power
China Unicom focused on combining benefits with business in this initiative. In Shanghai, enterprise users can directly receive a free test quota of up to 30 million Tokens. In Hubei and other regions, China Unicom integrated Token quotas with traditional communication voice, broadband services, and AI cloud desktops, launching diverse computing power packages.
Facing the industry bottleneck where traditional communication services are approaching their ceiling, the three major operators are collectively accelerating their strategic transformation from traditional "data pipeline providers" to "computing power service providers." Although the direct revenue contribution from Token packages is limited in the short term, in the long run, this low-barrier package model is expected to fully activate the vast personal and small and micro enterprise AI market.
