The telecom industry is the powerhouse of the modern age. Billions of people and organizations around the world run on the infrastructure and networks of the cell phone companies. The companies themselves provide direct employment to millions of people. The largest cell phone companies in the world in 2022 operate in multiple countries, regardless of their country of origin.
Cell phone companies are also known as mobile network operators, wireless mobile operators, cellular companies, wireless network carriers, or wireless carriers. They provide voice and data services that power basically everything in the world today. Without them, the modern society would collapse. Below are the largest cell phone companies in the world in 2022.
The Largest Cell Phone Companies in the World
- China Mobile, China
- Airtel Group, India
- Reliance Jio, India
- Vodafone Group, UK
- China Telecom, China
- America Movil, Mexico
- Telefónica, Spain
- China Unicum, China
- MTN, South Africa
- Orange, S.A., France
Other Leading Cell Phone Companies Globally 2022, and their headquarters
- Verizon, USA
- T-Mobile, USA
- Nippon, Japan
- Deutsche Telekom AG, Germany
- KDDI, China
- Telstra, Australia
- KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom), South Korea
- ATT, USA
- Vodafone Idea, India
- VEON, Netherlands
The Largest Wireless Carriers in the United States
In the USA, the Big 3 wireless carriers – AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon – have all launched 5G wireless networks with extensive coverage around the country. There were 4 major wireless carriers in the USA, until the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint in 2020. They now exist in size, in the following order:
- Verizon
- T-Mobile
- AT&T
There are many more carriers in the US, all of them using the infrastructure and network of the Big 3 to resell services to their subscribers. These are called mobile virtual networks operator (MVNOs), or simply virtual operators.
The Largest Mobile Operators In Europe
- Telefonica, Spain
- Deutsche Telekom AG, Germany
- Orange S.A., France
- Vodafone, UK
- British Telecom (BT)
Technologies Deployed By The Biggest and Best Cell Phone Companies
In 2022, the leading cell phone wireless providers have rolled out 5G (5th generation) services in their most advanced markets, with some already shutting down their 2G and 3G networks. Most of the others provide 4G service to their subscribers and will launch 5G service at some point, too.