The state-owned China Broadcast Network (CBN) recently submitted an application for a telecom license, the official Weibo account of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced on Thursday. If approved, CBN would likely become China’s fourth telecom operator.

MIIT said that it received the application from CBN on March 7. The basic license CBN applied for is a domestic Internet data transmission license, which includes a telecommunications infrastructure.

Fu Liang, an analyst in the industry, said that it's late for CBN to get such a basic license. Giants like China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile have already made huge investments in their networks and acquired large number of users. Fu added that there is also a huge gap between CBN's current market operation ability and that of the other three companies.

Fu believes it's unlikely that CBN will get licenses for fixed and mobile communication. He explained that fixed communication services are now experiencing a downturn, while mobile communication needs a huge investment. The monopoly of the three communications giants leaves little opportunity for newcomers, he added.

Liu Qicheng, Chief Editor of Telecom World, stressed that CBN’s viability as a carrier depends on the details of the license. Though the company is not competitive in fixed or mobile communication, it does have the advantage of a wireless 700M frequency band.

CBN could potentially make a fortune from its low-frequency, broader coverage, and low requirements for investment, Liu added.