Setting Up Home Internet in Shanghai: A Foreigner's Broadband Guide (2026)

Moving into a new Shanghai apartment and staring at a dead wall socket where the internet should be? Here is the honest, step-by-step version of how home broadband actually works here, what it costs, and how to get a technician to your door within a day or two. No jargon, just the route I wish someone had walked me through my first week. Which provider should I choose in Shanghai? Three state carriers run home broadband here, and any of them will get you online: China Telecom (中国电信) , China Unicom (中国联通) , and China Mobile (中国移动) . For most apartments inside the inner ring the practical differences are small, so the real deciding factors are which carrier already wires your building and which one you can communicate with. China Telecom has the widest fibre coverage in older Shanghai lane housing and a reputation for stable speeds. China Unicom tends to have the most patient English-friendly staff at its larger flagship stores, which matters if you are signing up solo. China Mobile often bundles broadband cheaply if you already hold one of their phone plans. My tip: ask your landlord or building management which carrier the apartment is already wired for. Switching carriers can…