List of mobile network operatorsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the world's largest mobile phone network and satellite phone network operators measured by number of subscribers.

For a more comprehensive list of mobile phone operators, see Mobile Network Code.

Terrestrial

This is a list of the world's 30 largest terrestrial mobile phone network operators measured by number of subscribers (and by proportionate subscribers, if the company has holdings in other operators).

Rank

CompanyMain markets

(100% ownership unless stated otherwise)

Technology

Proportionatesubscribers(in millions)

Totalsubscribers(in millions)

Ownership

1  China Mobile List[show] List[show]667.20[1]

(March 2012)667.20[1]

(March 2012)Government of the PRCPublic (25.75%)

2  Vodafone List[show] List[show]439.601[2]

(December 2011)

3  Airtel List[show] List[show]245.337[3]

(December 2011)245.337[3]

(December 2011)

Bharti (64.76%)SingTel (30.5%)Vodafone (4.4%)

4  Telenor List[show] List[show]140 (December 2011)

150[4]

(October 2011)54% Government of Norway

5  América Móvil List[show] List[show]236[5]

(June 2011)236[5]

(June 2011)

6  Telefónica List[show] List[show]231.87[6]

(September 2011)231.87[6]

(September 2011)

Rank

CompanyMain markets

(100% ownership unless stated otherwise)

Technology

Proportionatesubscribers(in millions)

Totalsubscribers(in millions)

Ownership

7  Orange List[show] List[show]226.3[7]

(September 2011)226.3[7]

(September 2011)France Télécom

8  VimpelCom Ltd. List[show] List[show]

205[8]

(December 2011)

209[9]

(March 2012)

(the world’s sixth-largest

wireless operator by

subscribers[10])

Telenor (35.7%)Altimo (31.4%)Weather Investments(18.78%)Public (14.2%)

9 Axiata Group

BerhadList[show] List[show]

159.7[11]

(December 2010)Government of Malaysia (45.09%)Public Stock (54.91%)

10  China Unicom List[show]202.89[12]

(January 2011)

China Unicom Limited (40.92%)China Netcom Group (29.49%)Telefonica (9.7%)

11 TeliaSonera List[show] List[show]160[13]

(December 2010)37.3% Government of Sweden, 13.7% Government of Finland

12  Saudi Telecom Company(STC)

List[show] List[show]139[14]

(December 2010)

13  MTN Group List[show] List[show]137.47[15]

(September 2010)

14  Etisalat List[show] List[show]135[16]

(February 2010)

15  Reliance Communications

 India List[show]144.78[17]

(July 2011)Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

16  Tele2 List[show] List[show]134.76[18]

(March 2012)Tele2 AB

17  T-Mobile List[show] List[show]129.14[19]

(March 2012)Deutsche Telekom

18  Verizon Wireless  United States List[show]108.7[20]

(Aug 2011)Verizon CommunicationsVodafone (45%)

19  MTS List[show] List[show]106.07[21]

(December 2011)Sistema (50.8%)

20  AT&T Mobility List[show] List[show]100.7[22]

(September 2011)AT&T Inc.

21  China Telecom  China List[show]129.25[23]

(January 2011)

22  Telkomsel  Indonesia List[show]100[24]

(April 2011)Telkom Indonesia (65%)SingTel (35%)

23  Idea Cellular  India List[show] 96.11[17]

(July 2011)Aditya Birla Group(49.05%)Axiata Group Berhad(19.1%)

Rank

CompanyMain markets

(100% ownership unless stated otherwise)

Technology

Proportionatesubscribers(in millions)

Totalsubscribers(in millions)

Ownership

Providence Equity (10.6%)

24  BSNL  India List[show]95.14[17]

(July 2011)Government of India

25  Tata Teleservices  India List[show]88.31[17]

(July 2011)Tata Group (74%)NTT DoCoMo (26%)

26  Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM)

List[show] List[show]71.50[25]

(September 2009)Telefonica (24.5%)

27  PLDT  Philippines[show] List[show]66.1[26]

(March 2012)

28 Maxis

CommunicationsList[show] List[show]

63.71[27][28]

(December 2010)Ananda Krishnan (75%)Saudi Telecom Company

29  Turkcell List[show] List[show]63.3[29]

(Q3 2011)

Turkcell Holding (51%)Sonera Holding B.V.(13.07%)M.V.Group (2.32%)Public Stock (33.61%)

30  Qtel List[show] List[show]33.60[30]

(December 2009)60.53[30]

(December 2009)

Satellite based

This is a list of the world's five largest satellite phone network operators measured by number of subscribers.

Rank

Operator TechnologySubscribers(in millions)

Ownership

1  Iridium Proprietary TDMA 0.500 (September 2011)[31]

2  Globalstar Proprietary CDMA 0.439 (January 2011)[32]

3  Thuraya Proprietary FDMA/GSM 0.260 (December 2007)[33] Etisalat(28%)

4  Inmarsat Proprietary GSM 0.254 (September 2009)[34]

5  ACeSDual-mode Satellite/GSM

0.020 (December 2007-pankaj Kumar)