China Mobile's Profit Declines On Higher Costs Even As 4G Subscriber Base Soars

While growing subsidy costs put a dent in China Mobile's profits, it helped the carrier grow its 3G/4G subscriber base by over 10% sequentially in Q2 2014 to over 253 million. Considering that data traffic is quickly becoming the primary avenue for future revenue growth, the carrier vigorously expanded and promoted its high speed 4G network, gaining 11 million 4G subscribers in the second quarter and about 14 million in the first six months of the year.