The three major operators all use the 17th number segment for 4G, and virtual operators benefit indirectly

On September 22, China Unicom launched 4G and used the 176 sub-number segment, with 200,000 numbers available for the first batch of 4G users. Since then, the 4G numbers of the three major operators have all been unveiled, all belonging to the 17th sub-number segment.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's approval, all new 4G users of the three major operators will use the number segment starting with 17. China Telecom has used the 177 number segment when issuing 4G numbers, and said that the 177 number segment is China Telecom's 4G exclusive number segment. China Mobile has already used the 178 number segment to issue numbers to 4G users this year. This means that the 4G number segments of the three major operators have been fully commercialized.

It is understood that virtual operators have been using the 170 number segment before, but it is not familiar to users. With the three major operators fully using the 17 number segment, it will be easier for virtual operators' 170 number segment to be accepted by users.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has previously issued a formal notice regarding the problem of "170 number segment cannot receive verification codes and verification SMS", requiring all Internet companies to actively cooperate with mobile communication resale companies and solve this problem before September 30. This move will also further promote the popularization of operators' 17 number segment.