Chinese telecom giants plan to charge consumers for AI tokens

China Telecom introduced packages targeting casual AI users, developers, and businesses, positioning token operations as its central strategic focus. Two other carriers are also betting on tokens (the units of data processed by AI models) as the next billable unit of the digital economy.

In March, China settled on the term ciyuan as the official translation for tokens, signaling Beijing's intention to shape the rules of the AI economy and expand its efforts to counter the US dollar's dominance in global commerce to digital realms.

Telecom carriers are treating tokens similarly to how cellular data was once billed—as a measurable, consumable resource that can be monetized in the digital economy.