Top 10 Mobile Telecom Services globally 2024
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The global mobile telecommunication services has seen an unprecedented growth with a total of 9.1 billion mobile subscriptions surpassing the current population of the planet by 12.1% as individuals now own multiple SIM cards for their devices. With mobile network operators facing stiff competition from other competitors, innovation is abundant due to multipurpose use of SIM cards such as usage for streaming, digital payments and even cloud computing.
Factors influencing growth of Mobile Networks
Prepaid vs Postpaid: Global adoption
China led with the highest number of mobile subscriptions amounting to 1.81 billion. India came in second with total mobile subscriptions being 1.14 billion. USA ranked 3rd with 386 million subscriptions followed by Indonesia with 352 million. Russian ranked 5th with mobile subscriptions being 245 million.
In countries such as India and African nations such as Rwanda, 90% of people rely on prepaid subscriptions. China too prefers prepaid with 70% adoption rate. This is in stark contrast to USA where only 36% of the population uses prepaid subscription.
India’s reliance on prepaid subscription
In developing nations such as India, the rural population occupies 45.6% of the total prepaid subscriptions. India’s rural population suffers from irregular income and therefore finds comfort in topping up their mobile data plan for as little as $0.12 a month making internet connectivity accessible to lower income groups.
Local competitors such as Airtel and Jio are vying for the top spot in the India prepaid market by offering enticing mobile subscription plans. As of 2025 Jio has now become India’s top telecom service providing data plans at a mere cost of US$ 2.17 for 3 GB worth data. In March 2025, during India’s cricket season, Jio offered 15 GB worth data for US$2.73 with a 90 day validity ensuring a seamless cricket viewing experience.
USA’s postpaid adoption
USA continues to rely on postpaid subscription for their cellular devices due to adoption of credit billing and bundled family plans contribute to ARPU. Verizon which doesn’t’ even make it to the top 10 mobile telecom operators on the basis of subscriber count still as has an ARPU of $40 significantly more than China Telecom’s US$ 8.
5G revolution
5G has helped in reeling in customers thereby increasing churn rate.In 2024AT&T added 482,000 net postpaid phone subscribers, which drove a 3.3% revenue increase, raising its mobile service revenues to $16.6 billion. T-Mobile, another US telecom giant gained 903,000 postpaid phone subscribers in the same quarter, and is predicting to add 6 million customers by the end of 2025, due to strong demand for its premium 5G bundles.
Prominent telecommunication services globally
Collectively, the top ten operators account for over 3.8 billion subscriptions, reflecting the sector’s integral role in driving digital connectivity. In 2024, China Mobile reinforced its position as the world’s largest mobile operator with 1.004 billion mobile phone subscribers, accounting for nearly 19% of all global mobile subscriptions. China Telecom (422.67 million) and China Unicom (339.3 million) ranked 3rd and 5th respectively, highlighting China’s dominance in the global telecom ecosystem.
India also emerged as a major growth hub for telecom services, with Reliance Jio (481.8 million) ranking 2nd due to its cost efficient unlimited data plans and Bharti Airtel (395.15 million) occupying the 4th position together represent more than 877 million subscribers underscoring India’s role in the global telecom service market. Vodafone Idea consolidated India’s dominance in the mobile telecom services industry by contributing 205 million users
Beyond Asia, leading operators with multinational footprints remain critical players. América Móvil, with 323 million mobile phone subscribers dominates in Latin America, while Telefónica S.A. (300.3 million subscribers) and Orange S.A. (253 million) sustain their leadership in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Telkomsel ranking 10th on the list with 159.4 million subscribers underscores Indonesia’s rising influence in mobile adoption.
Conclusion
The global telecom market is led by giants like China Mobile, Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel, reflecting the dominance of China and India in driving subscriber growth. With the top ten operators serving over 3.8 billion users, mobile networks are not only enabling communication but also shaping the digital economy through 5G expansion and prepaid accessibility.
