CTExcel UK
eSIM + PhysicalChina Telecom Europe's UK brand on EE — 180-day keep-alive with one SMS, China data bundles
Best for: Heavy UK–China data users: cheap annual bundles, unlimited Wi-Fi Calling to China, and a £0 keep-alive trick (balance-check SMS).
Overview
CTExcel UK is China Telecom (Europe)'s MVNO on EE, built for students, travellers and UK–China commuters. Keep the number with any charged usage within 180 days (sending 'BAL' to 888 counts). Signature plan: £15/year with 15GB, plus a £36/year 50GB China-roaming bundle; unlimited calls to 15 international directions; Wi-Fi Calling enabled. First activation must happen in the UK/EU with usage within 10 days.
CTExcel UK is the value pick among the two Chinese-operator UK brands: bundles are cheaper per GB than CMLink's, and the keep-alive bar is refreshingly low — any charged activity within 180 days (a call, an SMS, data use, a top-up or a bundle order) resets the clock; texting BAL to 888 for a balance check already counts.
Official FAQ states numbers terminated after 180 days of total inactivity cannot be reactivated, with an SMS warning sent around day 60. Signature plans: £15 for 365 days with 15GB (UK and mainland-China shared), and a £36/year 50GB China bundle; when annual data runs out you can still receive SMS without renewing. One card can carry a UK number plus a Chinese secondary number; with Wi-Fi Calling on, calls to Chinese numbers from within China are unlimited, TikTok/Telegram register fine, and the roaming IP is a genuine clean UK IP.
Roaming works across 34 countries (4G only). Like CMLink, first activation must be in the UK or EU (CTExcel: UK/EU only, not Hong Kong), and you need usage within 10 days of activation. Best for: heavy China-traffic users who want more data per pound and unlimited calls home; pick CMLink instead if 5G and mainland verification codes matter more.
Popular plans
| Plan | Data from | Validity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual bundle | 15GB (UK + mainland China shared) | 365 days | £15 |
| China data bundle | 50GB | 365 days | £36 |
Bundle prices per CTExcel UK official site as reviewed 2026-03; SMS receiving continues after data exhaustion.
Pros
- £15/year for 15GB is the cheapest China-roaming data per pound
- Keep-alive costs nothing (balance-check SMS counts as usage)
- Unlimited Wi-Fi Calling to China and 14 other directions
- One card, two numbers; clean UK IP for app registrations
Things to note
- First activation UK/EU only, with usage required within 10 days
- 4G only while roaming (no 5G), 34 roaming countries
- No 5G support — CMLink is the pick if you need it
Key features
- £15 / 365 days bundle with 15GB (UK + China shared)
- Any charged usage per 180 days keeps the number alive
- Unlimited calls to 15 international directions incl. mainland China
- UK number + Chinese secondary number; clean native UK IP