Major Carriers Halt Third-Party Online SIM Card Sales
On July 31, according to CCTV News, China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom issued a “Notice on Regulating Internet Channel SIM Card Sales Management.” The notice states: To protect user rights and data security, the ordering of SIM cards through internet channels will be uniformly regulated. Starting August 1, 2026, users who wish to order SIM cards through internet channels can only do so via the carriers’ official apps, official websites, and other official channels. Third-party internet channels will no longer provide telecom SIM card services.
The carriers stated in the notice that recently, unscrupulous merchants have been found using the guise of “authorized carrier partnerships” to post fake SIM card sales information, or using the pretense of selling cards to collect users’ ID documents, addresses, contact details, and other personal sensitive information—infringing on user rights and posing a significant risk of information leakage.
Zhongji Innolight’s Top Shareholder Cashes Out Over 5.3 Billion Yuan
On the evening of July 30, Zhongji Innolight’s A-shares released a change in equity announcement. The company’s controlling shareholder, Shandong Zhongji Investment Holding Co., Ltd., along with its concerted actors Wang Weixiu and Wang Xiaodong, saw their combined shareholding change exceed a 1% integer multiple due to multiple factors, including the company’s Hong Kong listing, exercise of equity incentive stock options, and secondary market reductions. The announcement shows that between May 28, 2025, and July 30, 2026, the controlling shareholder and its concerted actors reduced a total of 6.21 million A-shares. Based on the July 30 A-share closing price, this corresponds to a market value exceeding 5.3 billion yuan.
Apple CEO Cook Responds to Storage Chip Shortage: Evaluating All Procurement Options
On July 30, local time, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call that as storage chip prices continue to rise, the company is evaluating all response strategies. Cook revealed that Apple’s storage procurement spending has been increasing in both the March and June fiscal quarters, and costs are expected to keep climbing in the September quarter. However, some of that pressure will be offset by beginning-of-period inventory gains and cost reductions in non-storage components. He emphasized that the DRAM market is currently dominated by just three suppliers, and having more suppliers would help improve supply and have a positive impact on product pricing.
Meta Discloses Nearly $700 Billion in Future Spending Commitments
Meta announced on July 30, local time, that the company has committed nearly $700 billion in future investments through long-term and short-term agreements, targeting AI data centers, cloud computing, and other areas. The company has signed irrevocable contracts committing $349.3 billion, primarily involving third-party cloud agreements, servers, and network infrastructure. Meta stated that this figure is a conservative estimate, as the company “does not estimate total obligations beyond minimum purchase quantities” for agreements with variable terms.
Additionally, the company has $347 billion in lease commitments that have not yet begun to be executed and are therefore not reflected on the balance sheet. Of that, $68 billion was added in July alone, with related payments set to begin in 2027 and 2028. These expenditures are in addition to existing leases and mainly involve data centers, colocation facilities, and “certain network infrastructure.”
TCL CSOT Responds to Cross-Industry Semiconductor Packaging
On July 31, TCL CSOT CEO Zhao Jun told reporters and media during ChinaJoy 2026 that the company is advancing glass-substrate-related technology R&D, having already assembled a dedicated team and initiated joint development and collaborative efforts with target customers. Zhao revealed that related samples are expected to debut in the second half of this year, and the company will also kick off the establishment of a pilot line development platform.
AI Gaming Hybrid Roles See Clear Demand Growth with Leading Salaries
On July 31, news came that the 2026 China International Digital Entertainment Expo (ChinaJoy) kicked off in Shanghai today. Data from HR services provider 51job shows that the online gaming industry’s hiring is highly concentrated, with the Greater Bay Area and Yangtze River Delta accounting for nearly 60% of positions. Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen top the list of hot hiring cities, with market-driven companies contributing nearly 80% of positions.
Currently, demand for AI-related hybrid roles is growing significantly and leading in salary. Tech artists and core lead programmers enjoy stable pay, while basic execution roles are seeing their value diluted. Job seekers skew younger, with those under 30 making up 70% and those with bachelor’s degrees or above nearly 50%. However, there’s a clear supply-demand mismatch: applications for basic operations and testing roles are extremely competitive, while positions like senior numerical designers and high-end technical experts face a talent shortage.
Sony Group’s First-Quarter Net Profit Up 32.1% Year-on-Year
On July 31, Sony Group announced its results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, which ended June 30, 2026. During the reporting period, the company posted revenue of 2.84 trillion yen, up 8.2% year-on-year; operating profit reached 476.499 billion yen, surging 40.2% year-on-year; and net profit attributable to Sony Group shareholders was 342.161 billion yen, up 32.1% from 259.027 billion yen in the same period last year.
