The world’s five largest wireless carriers account for roughly 2 billion mobile connections, according to the latest data from the World Cellular Information Service. China Mobile leads with 816 million customers, making it the world’s largest wireless carrier by far.
The World Cellular Information Service said that proportionate subscriptions are calculated based on the company’s equity ownership and the subsidiaries’ total subscriptions. The proportionate subscriptions show below reflect what share of the total subscription base is actually owned by the operating group.
China Mobile (626.2 million subscriptions) reportedly added more than 17 million 4G subscribers in the month of May alone, bringing its total number of 4G connections to 170 million. The world’s largest carrier got an earlier start on LTE than its competitors. The first licenses awarded by the Chinese government were for TD-LTE, and China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G network is more compatible with that standard than are the WCDMA 3G networks operated by its rivals.
Vodafone Group (403 million subscriptions) has operations in 21 countries around the world. Vodafone is based in the U.K., but it is not the leading mobile operator there. The merger of O2 and Three and the purchase of EE by BT have resulted in a British mobile landscape that is dominated by three major players, with Vodafone currently in third place.
Bharti Airtel (303 million subscriptions) is based in India but has operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, and its networks cover 1.85 billion people. The company said it has the largest geographical footprint of any operator in Africa.
Roughly 225 million of Bharti Airtel’s 303 million wireless connections are in India, and the vast majority of those are 2G or 3G connections. The company recently said that it will invest $1 billion in its 3G network in India. Nokia will be a major beneficiary of that investment.
China Unicom (299 million subscriptions) slipped out of third place on the list of the world’s top mobile operators, losing 1.9 million net subscribers in the month of May. Chinese investors have speculated that the company will merge with China’s third-largest carrier, China Telecom.
Since 2011, China Unicom has had a strategic partnership with Telefónica. The two companies recently signed a deal to source smartphones based on shared specifications.
América Móvil (274 million subscriptions) operates in 18 countries in Latin America and seven European countries. Controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, América Móvil is based in Mexico, where it faces competition from the north as AT&T prepares to invest $3 billion in the networks it is acquiring there. AT&T has recently agreed to purchase Mexico’s Iusacell and Nextel Mexico.
For a more comprehensive ranking of mobile operators, see the GSMA rankings.
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