.
by Number of Subscribers (and by proportionate subscribers, if the company has holdings in other operators).
| Rank | Company | Main Markets | Technology | Proportionate
subscribers
(in millionOne million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
s) | Total
subscribers
(in millionOne million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
s) | Ownership |
| 1 |
 Mainland China China MobileChina Mobile Limited is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company that provides mobile voice and multimedia services through its nationwide mobile telecommunications network, the largest of its kind in the world...
|
|
|
627.63
(August 2011) |
627.63
(August 2011) |
Government State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
of the PRCChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(74.25%)
Free Float (25.75%) |
| 2 |
 United Kingdom VodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
|
|
|
361.42
(June 2011) |
381.72
(June 2011) |
|
| 3 |
 Mexico América MóvilAmérica Móvil is a Mexican telecommunication company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the fourth largest mobile network operator in terms of equity subscribers, one of the largest corporations in Latin America, and the world. America Movil is a Fortune 500 company...
|
|
|
236
(June 2011) |
236
(June 2011) |
|
| 4 |
 Spain TelefónicaTelefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
O2 |
|
|
227.32
(June 2011) |
227.32
(June 2011) |
| 5 |
 India Airtel |
|
|
227.04
(September 2011) |
227.04
(September 2011) |
Bharti (64.76%)
SingTel (30.5%)
VodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
(4.4%) |
| 6 |
 Early Modern France OrangeOrange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
|
|
|
140
(December 2009) |
217.3
(June 2011) |
France TélécomFrance Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
|
| 7 |
 Norway TelenorTelenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
|
|
|
|
203
(December 2010) |
Including VimpelCom before merging with Wind |
| 8 |
 Russia VimpelCom |
|
|
|
193
(July 2011) |
Alfa Group Alfa Group Consortium is one of Russia's largest privately owned investment groups, with interests in oil and gas, commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, retail trade, telecommunications, water utilities and special situation investments...
(31%)
Naguib SawirisNaguib Onsi Sawiris is an Egyptian businessman and politician. He was executive chairman of the telecommunications companies Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding before turning to politics in May 2011...
(30,6%)
TelenorTelenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
(25,01%) |
| 9 |
 Singapore SingTel |
|
|
146.0
(Aug 2011) |
416
(August 2011) |
Temasek Holdings Temasek Holdings is an investment company owned by the government of Singapore. With an international staff of 380 people, it manages a portfolio of about S$193 billion at end of March 2011, focused primarily in Asia...
(54%) |
| 10 |
 Malaysia Axiata Group BerhadAxiata Group Berhad , DBA Axiata , is one of the leading telecommunication companies in Asia.- The Group :...
|
|
|
|
159.7
(December 2010) |
|
| 11 |
Mainland China China UnicomChina Unicom or China United Netcom Ltd , is a Chinese state-owned telecommunications operator in the People's Republic of China.-History:...
|
Mainland China China (China UnicomChina Unicom or China United Netcom Ltd , is a Chinese state-owned telecommunications operator in the People's Republic of China.-History:...
) |
|
|
169.7
(January 2011) |
China Unicom (BVI) Limited (state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
) (40.92%)
China Netcom Group (BVI) Limited (state-ownedState ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
) (29.49%)
TelefonicaTelefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
(9.7%) |
| 13 |
 Finland/ Sweden TeliaSoneraTeliaSonera AB is the dominant telephone company and mobile network operator in Sweden and Finland. The company has operations in other countries in Northern, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Spain, with a total of 150 million mobile customers...
|
|
|
|
160
(December 2010) |
37,3% Sweden, 13,7% Finland |
| 14 |
 Saudi Arabia Saudi Telecom CompanySaudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
(STC) |
|
|
> 100
(March 2010) |
139
(December 2010) |
|
| 15 |
 South Africa MTN Group |
|
|
|
137.47
(September 2010) |
|
| 16 |
 United Arab Emirates EtisalatEmirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
|
|
|
|
>135
(February 2010) |
|
| 17 |
India Reliance CommunicationsReliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
|
|
|
|
144.78
(July 2011) |
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani GroupReliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is one of India's largest conglomerates, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. The company, which was formed after Dhirubhai Ambani's business empire was divided up, is headed by his younger son Anil Ambani. It has a market capitalization of US$ 15 billion,...
|
| 12 |
 Germany T-MobileT-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
|
|
|
|
128.00
(June 2011) |
Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
|
| 18 |
 United States Verizon WirelessCellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
|
United States USA |
|
|
106.3
(Aug 2011) |
Verizon Communications Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
(55%)
VodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
(45%) |
| 19 |
Russia MTSMTS is the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS with over 102,4 million subscribers as of 31 December 2009.Having started in the Moscow license zone in 1994, МТS in 1997 received licenses for further areas and began expansion, later entering other countries of the CIS...
|
|
|
|
103.35
(31 December 2010) |
Sistema AFK Sistema is a large Russian conglomerate company, headed by Vladimir Yevtushenkov. In March 2006, Yevtushenkov controlled 62% of the shares in Sistema....
|
| 20 |
United States AT&T Mobility |
|
|
|
100.7
(September 2011) |
AT&T Inc.AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
|
| 21 |
Mainland China China TelecomChina Telecom Corp. Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company. It is the largest fixed line service and 3rd largest mobile telecommunication provider in the People's Republic of China.-Sectors:...
|
Mainland China China |
|
|
94.1
(January 2011) |
|
| 22 |
 Indonesia TelkomselTelkomsel is a brand name of a GSM and UMTS Mobile phone network operator which is operating in Indonesia. It was found in 1995, and is a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia....
|
Indonesia Indonesia (Telkomsel Telkomsel is a brand name of a GSM and UMTS Mobile phone network operator which is operating in Indonesia. It was found in 1995, and is a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia....
) |
|
|
>100
(April 2011) |
Telkom Indonesia (65%)
SingTel (35%) |
| 23 |
India BSNLBharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and fourth largest mobile telephony provider in India, and is also a provider of broadband services...
|
India India |
|
|
95.14
(July 2011) |
Government of IndiaThe Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
|
| 24 |
India Tata Teleservices |
India India |
|
|
88.31
(July 2011) |
Tata GroupTata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,...
(>50%)
TemasekTemasek was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. From the 14th century, the island has also been known as Singapura, which is derived from Sanskrit and means "Lion City"...
(9%)
SivasankaranC. Sivasankaran is the Chairman of Siva Group , Siva Industries & Holdings Limited [ultimate holding company] and Siva Ventures Ltd. He has a net worth of more than $4 billion...
(8%) |
| 25 |
India Idea CellularIdea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
|
India India |
|
|
96.11
(July 2011) |
Aditya Birla GroupThe Aditya Birla Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. It operates in 33 countries with more than 133,000 employees worldwide...
(49.05%)
Axiata Group BerhadAxiata Group Berhad , DBA Axiata , is one of the leading telecommunication companies in Asia.- The Group :...
(19.1%)
Providence EquityProvidence Equity Partners is a global private equity investment firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and information investments...
(10.6%) |
| 26 |
 Italy Telecom ItaliaTelecom Italia is the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries. Now a private concern listed on the Borsa Italiana, it was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most important of which was...
/ TIMTelecom Italia is the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries. Now a private concern listed on the Borsa Italiana, it was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most important of which was...
|
|
|
|
71.50
(September 2009) |
Telefonica Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
(24.5%) |
| 27 |
Malaysia Maxis CommunicationsMaxis Communications Berhad is a Malaysian cellular operator company headquartered at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was started in the year 1993. It uses the dialing pref ix identifier of "012" , "017" and “0142”. Their mobile services are provided over the 900 & 1800 MHz GSM band and as July 2005,...
|
|
|
|
63.71
|
Ananda Krishnan Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan is a Malaysian businessman and philanthropist of Tamil origin. Nicknamed A-K, he is estimated to have a net worth of US$9.6 billion according to Forbes' latest annual list of wealthiest people, making him the second wealthiest in Southeast Asia behind Robert Kuok,...
(75%)
Saudi Telecom CompanySaudi Telecom Group, STC is a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile and Internet services.-Background:...
(25%) |
| 28 |
 Turkey TurkcellTurkcell is the leading mobile phone operator of Turkey, based in Istanbul. The company has 34.1 million subscribers as of June 30th, 2011.- Company background :...
|
|
|
|
61.7
(June 2011) |
|
| 29 |
 Qatar QtelQtel used to be the exclusive telecommunications provider in Qatar and is one of the largest public companies in Qatar with about 2000 employees. It was successfully launched on the Doha Securities Market in 1998 and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1999, the Bahrain Stock Exchange in 2001...
|
|
|
33.60
(December 2009) |
82.4
(December 2009) |
|
| Rank | Operator | Technology | Subscribers
(in millions) | Ownership |
| 1 |
United States GlobalstarGlobalstar is a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for satellite phone and low-speed data communications, somewhat similar to the Iridium satellite constellation and Orbcomm satellite systems.-History:...
|
Proprietary In telecommunications, a proprietary protocol is a communications protocol owned by a single organization or individual.-Enforcement:Proprietors may enforce restrictions through patents and by keeping the protocol specification a trade secret...
CDMA |
0.439 (January 2011) |
|
| 2 |
United States Iridium |
Proprietary In telecommunications, a proprietary protocol is a communications protocol owned by a single organization or individual.-Enforcement:Proprietors may enforce restrictions through patents and by keeping the protocol specification a trade secret...
TDMAIS-54 and IS-136 are second-generation mobile phone systems, known as Digital AMPS . It was once prevalent throughout the Americas, particularly in the United States and Canada. D-AMPS is considered end-of-life, and existing networks have mostly been replaced by GSM/GPRS or CDMA2000...
|
0.427 (January 2011) |
|
| 3 |
United Arab Emirates ThurayaThuraya , the Arabic name of the Pleiades, is a regional satellite phone provider. Its coverage area is most of Europe, the Middle East, North, Central and East Africa, Asia and Australia....
|
Proprietary In telecommunications, a proprietary protocol is a communications protocol owned by a single organization or individual.-Enforcement:Proprietors may enforce restrictions through patents and by keeping the protocol specification a trade secret...
FDMA/GSM |
0.260 (December 2007) |
EtisalatEmirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a UAE based telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa...
(28%) |
| 4 |
United Kingdom InmarsatInmarsat plc is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites...
|
Proprietary In telecommunications, a proprietary protocol is a communications protocol owned by a single organization or individual.-Enforcement:Proprietors may enforce restrictions through patents and by keeping the protocol specification a trade secret...
GSM |
0.254 (September 2009) |
|
| 5 |
Indonesia ACeS ACeS is a regional satellite telecommunications company based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It offers GSM-like satellite telephony services to Asian market. The coverage area includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China and India. The company operates the Garuda 1...
|
Dual-mode SatelliteIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
/GSM |
0.020 (December 2007-pankaj Kumar) |
|