World's largest mobile operators

A recent report by Wireless Intelligence reveals that Asia dominates the list in mobile connections.

With demand for smart phones increasing by the day and mobile phones outnumbering the population in certain countries, it is no surprise to see which country’s provider topped the list.

1.                   China Mobile is a state-owned telecommunication company that provides multimedia services through its nationwide mobile telecommunications network. The company is the world’s largest mobile operator group with 683.08 million connections and is listed on both the NYSE and the Hong Kong stock exchange. It generates revenue of $22.05 billion.

2.                  The Vodafone group comes in second with386.88 million connections. It is a British multinational telecommunications company and operates networks in over 30 countries and partner networks in more than 40 additional countries. Vodafone’s revenue is $13.92 billion.

3.                  Owned by Mexico’s richest man Carlos Slim, the América Móvil Group has 251.83 million connections and a revenue of $7.98 billion. The company is headquartered in Mexico City and its subsidiary Telcel is the largest mobile operator in Mexico.

4.                  India’s first provider and the fourth all over, Bharti Airtel commands 250.04 million connections and has a revenue of $3.04 billion. Airtel also operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. The company is also the first to achieve Cisco Gold Certification.

5.                  Representing Spain is the Telefónica Group with 243.51 million connections and a revenue of $11.40 billion. Telefónica also has operations in Europe, the USA and Latin America and is the former public monopoly of telecommunications in Spain. 

6.                  Another Chinese company in the list, China Unicom has 219.25 million connections and a revenue of $4.95 billion. China Unicom is a state-owned telecommunications operator established in 1994 and started out as a wireless paging and GSM mobile operator.

7.                  Bringing the Netherlands to the list is the VimpelCom Group with 205.05 million connections and a revenue of $4.58 billion. Most of the company’s revenue, however, comes from Russia and Italy. VimpelCom was founded by a Soviet engineer, Dmitry Zimin who received a State Prize for his research in the field of phased arrays

8.                 Yet another Indian company in the list, Reliance Communications controls 154.60 million connections and generates a revenue of $0.48 billion. It provides wireless operations, broadband as well as direct-to-home services. It was founded by Anil Ambani in 2004.

9.                  The last Chinese company on the list, China Telecom commands 144.18 million connections with a revenue of $3.37 billion. The company provides fixed-line and broadband internet access and has been listed on the Hong Kong and New York stock exchanges since 2002.

10.              A South Africa-based multinational mobile telecommunications company, the MTN Group has 136.59 million connections with a revenue of $3.85 billion. The company operates in many African and Middle Eastern countries as well.

11.               The France Telecom Group, popularly known as Orange (it represents the official brand for mobile and landline telephone services, ISP, mobile internet services and IP television), has 133.38 million connections and a revenue of $7.18 billion. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe. 

Source: Wireless Intelligence