China Unicom, China’s second largest telecom operator, recently announced on its official website that it will cut international roaming fees by up to 97 percent beginning Aug. 10, Securities Daily reported.

International dialing costs in 18 countries and regions have fallen by a mean of 44 percent, with the largest discounts reaching 79 percent.

The move comes just two months after rival China Telecom announced it would lower its international data fees in 176 countries and regions, offering unlimited data in packages priced at CNY25 (USD3.6), CNY55 and CNY85. China Unicom’s new data and call prices will come down to as low as CNY3 a minute.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been pushing telcos into reducing prices and optimizing data speeds as the nation gears up to roll out commercial 5G networks next year.

Between 80 to 90 percent of fees charged through international communication services are paid to overseas telecom operators, said Fu Liang, an independent telecom analyst, adding that Unicom’s move to slash fees demonstrates its strengthened cooperation with overseas operators and the high coverage of China’s 4G network.

In addition to Unicom, China’s two other major telecom carriers, China Mobile and China Telecom, have already introduced policies to reduce their international roaming fees while improving their network speed.

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