How their cross-border models differ
CUniq's flagship "ONE Greater Bay Area" plans treat Hong Kong, Macau and selected mainland cities as one data pool — roughly HK$158+/month for 10–80GB — with cheaper CN-HK sharing promos around HK$98–108. A mainland number is standard on most plans (it does require completing mainland real-name registration once).
CMHK splits the same job differently: local plans start lower (entry 5G around HK$98), and the mainland leg comes via 一咭多號 add-ons (~HK$18/month) or bundled 一咭兩號 plans (~HK$139–159/24mo) that ride China Mobile's own national network — the deepest rural-mainland reach available to any HK subscriber.
Contracts, fees & fine print
Both carriers work on 24-month contracts with an HK$18/month admin fee that CUniq waives if you set up credit-card autopay — check whether CMHK's promo you're eyeing includes the same waiver. Watch the mainland real-name step: it applies to whichever carrier issues your +86 number and needs a mainland-system registration, usually done in-store or via app with your return-home permit / travel document details.
For non-commuters, both run cheaper niche tiers — senior plans from about HK$38 and campus/student lines near HK$88 — worth checking before defaulting to a mainstream consumer plan.
China Mobile HK
Choose CUniq if you want one pooled GBA data allowance and a mainland number included by default, especially on monthly HK↔SZ/GZ trips.
China Unicom HK (CUniq)
Choose CMHK if you travel beyond tier-1 mainland cities (native national-network depth) or simply want the lowest entry price.
