Operator group ranking, Q2 2012 - All three Chinese operators make top 10 ranking by connections
Please sign in or register for a free public account to access this report.
China’s three mobile operators all recorded double-digit subscriber growth over the last year, strengthening their respective standings in the latest GSMA Intelligence ‘Scoreboard’ operator ranking.
The new ‘Scoreboard’ tracks the top 20 global operator groups by connections based on majority-owned assets in Q2 2012. Minority holdings (less than 50 percent plus one share) are excluded from the analysis.
China Mobile (#1) extended its lead as the world’s largest operator group, growing connections by 11 percent year-on-year to 683.1 million. Its two domestic rivals both moved up the ranking compared to a year ago - and all three now feature in the top ten for the first time.
China Unicom (#6) moved up one place on the back of a 21 percent increase connections to 219.3 million, while China Telecom (#10) climbed two places as connections increased 33 percent to 144.2 million.
China as a whole surpassed the 1 billion milestone earlier in the year and ended Q2 2012 on 1,047 million connections in total.
India’s Bharti Airtel (#4) was the only other member of the top ten to move up the ranking, recording a 13 percent year-on-year rise in connections (to 250 million) and leapfrogging Telefónica to become the world’s fourth-largest operator group in Q2. However, Bharti's US$3.04 billion in mobile revenue in Q2 2012 is significantly lower than the four other operators in the top five, reflecting Bharti's presence in the ultra low-cost, low-margin Indian and African markets.
Elsewhere, France Telecom (#12) returned to the top 20 after dropping out of the list a year ago. The recent fluctuations in its ranking are due to an on-going group strategy of disposing of non-core or minority assets, and strengthening its stake in others. Over the last year, the firm increased its holdings in Poland (Orange) and Egypt (Mobinil) to above the 50 percent threshold allowing both assets to be included in our ranking – adding 14.8 million and 32.4 million connections, respectively, to the group total.
France Telecom also inked a deal in Q4 2011 to acquire 100 percent of Congo Chine Telecom, a mobile operator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The operator currently has only 1.5 million connections but is an example of the “high potential emerging markets” currently being targeted by the group.
US market-leader Verizon Wireless (#16) fell three positions from last year, while rival AT&T (#18) fell by two. Like the mature European operators, however, mobile revenues were significantly higher than at their emerging market counterparts.
Russia’s Sistema Group (#15) recorded the biggest slip in the ranking, dropping four places from a year ago. The group is likely to have subsequently slipped again following the forced shut down of its MTS Uzbekistan subsidiary in Q3 2012, which will reduce its connections total by around 9 million.
| Rank | Operator-group | Connections (millions) 1 | YoY Growth, connections | YoY Growth, rank | Mobile Revenue (US$ billion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Mobile | 683.08 | 11% | - | 22.05 |
| 2 | Vodafone Group | 386.88 | 5% | - | 13.92 |
| 3 | América Móvil Group | 251.83 | 7% | - | 7.98 |
| 4 | Bharti Airtel Group | 250.04 | 13% | +1 | 3.04 |
| 5 | Telefónica Group | 243.51 | 7% | -1 | 11.40 |
| 6 | China Unicom | 219.25 | 21% | +1 | 4.95 |
| 7 | VimpelCom Group 2 | 205.05 | 7% | -1 | 4.58 |
| 8 | Reliance Communications | 154.60 | 8% | - | 0.48 |
| 9 | Telenor Group | 152.74 | 24% | - | 2.55 |
| 10 | China Telecom | 144.18 | 33% | +2 | 3.37 |
| 11 | MTN Group | 136.59 | 14% | -1 | 3.85 |
| 12 | France Telecom Group | 133.38 | 57% | +9 | 7.18 |
| 13 | Telkomsel Group | 117.24 | 15% | +2 | 1.43 |
| 14 | Idea Cellular | 117.16 | 23% | +3 | 1.00 |
| 15 | Sistema Group 3 | 114.51 | 3% | -4 | 2.54 |
| 16 | Verizon Wireless | 111.37 | 5% | -3 | 15.78 |
| 17 | Deutsche Telekom Group | 107.86 | 2% | -3 | 8.38 |
| 18 | AT&T | 105.21 | 7% | -2 | 14.77 |
| 19 | Telecom Italia | 101.10 | 16% | +1 | 4.10 |
| 20 | BSNL | 98.28 | 5% | -2 | 0.44 |
Mobile operator group global ranking by connections, Q2 2012
Source: GSMA Intelligence, company reports
1 Connections are aggregated as the sum of each group's subsidiaries where a minimum of 50% plus one share economic interest is held
2 Includes Orascom Group
3 Includes MTS Group
Related research
The mobile churn challenge: where loyalty is lowest and four recommendations for operators
The latest consumer survey by GSMA Intelligence reveals that around one in seven mobile users changed their service provider over the previous 12 months. The main reasons for churn have stayed largely unchanged over the last five years, at the aggregate level, with value for money by far the top reason. However, variations exist between consumer segments in terms of the degree of churn and the drivers.
MWC Shanghai 2025: a window into the future?
MWC Shanghai is in the books for another year, having attracted 45,000 visitors (from 12,500 companies), along with 400 exhibitors and partner groups. The numbers were up from the 2024 event by 13% and 92% respectively. This analysis highlights the key takeaways and implications from meetings, summits and announcements at the event – and in particular, whether the progress seen in China can be mapped to other regions.
GSMA Open Gateway: State of the Market, H1 2025
Representing 285 networks and almost 80% of mobile subscribers worldwide, 73 operator groups are now committed to GSMA Open Gateway. This latest research provides an update on the state of the market, recent developments, and examples of GSMA Open Gateway in action. It also offers a deep dive on supply/demand gap analysis.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn moreRelated research
The mobile churn challenge: where loyalty is lowest and four recommendations for operators
The latest consumer survey by GSMA Intelligence reveals that around one in seven mobile users changed their service provider over the previous 12 months. The main reasons for churn have stayed largely unchanged over the last five years, at the aggregate level, with value for money by far the top reason. However, variations exist between consumer segments in terms of the degree of churn and the drivers.
MWC Shanghai 2025: a window into the future?
MWC Shanghai is in the books for another year, having attracted 45,000 visitors (from 12,500 companies), along with 400 exhibitors and partner groups. The numbers were up from the 2024 event by 13% and 92% respectively. This analysis highlights the key takeaways and implications from meetings, summits and announcements at the event – and in particular, whether the progress seen in China can be mapped to other regions.
GSMA Open Gateway: State of the Market, H1 2025
Representing 285 networks and almost 80% of mobile subscribers worldwide, 73 operator groups are now committed to GSMA Open Gateway. This latest research provides an update on the state of the market, recent developments, and examples of GSMA Open Gateway in action. It also offers a deep dive on supply/demand gap analysis.
- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics