Recently, social media has been abuzz with rumors suggesting that China's three leading telecom operators are on the verge of introducing plans that eliminate monthly fees altogether, opting instead for a pay-as-you-go model. This has sparked widespread user interest in the future trajectory of traditional monthly subscription plans. Following thorough verification by our reporters, it has been ascertained that, as of now, only China Unicom has rolled out a pay-as-you-go product named 'Unicom Magic Cube' on April 28, 2026. This innovative plan does away with fixed monthly fees, instead adopting a billing model based on actual usage for voice, data, and SMS/MMS services. Data usage is billed in tiered rates: the initial 20GB is charged at 1.5 yuan/GB, the next 30GB (from 20GB to 50GB) at 1.2 yuan/GB, and any usage beyond 50GB at 1 yuan/GB. Voice calls are priced at 0.1 yuan per minute, while SMS/MMS messages cost 0.1 yuan each. However, it's important to note that this plan comes with a minimum spending requirement, which varies by region—55 yuan/month in Beijing and 39 yuan/month in certain other areas. Should the user's spending fall short of this threshold, the full threshold amount will still be deducted.

In contrast, China Mobile and China Telecom have yet to introduce similar offerings. China Mobile has explicitly stated that it currently has no intentions of launching zero-monthly-fee, pay-as-you-go plans. Similarly, China Telecom has refuted the relevant rumors. Industry experts highlight that a zero-monthly-fee model, completely devoid of minimum spending requirements, is challenging to implement and could potentially result in resource wastage and cost shifting. Looking ahead, the traditional fixed monthly fee system is expected to undergo gradual optimization, with more flexible, usage-based billing models poised to gain popularity in emerging scenarios, such as 5G-A and computing services.