The biggest telecom provider in India by market share, Jio Infocomm Ltd., has no imminent plans to raise mobile phone rates, defying market predictions. Instead, it wants to increase revenue by encouraging users to use more data. Contrary to market predictions, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, the largest telecom provider in India by market share, has no imminent plans to raise mobile phone rates. Instead, it intends to enhance income by encouraging users to use more data.
In order to boost their average revenue per user (or ARPU, a crucial performance indicator for telecom operators), Jio and its closest rival, Bharti Airtel Ltd., recently scrapped their entry-level plans. The decision raised expectations that the telecom operators would raise tariffs by the end of the year or the beginning of 2026.
Jio’s Monthly ARPU Rose to 1.2%
Jio claims that its monthly average income per subscriber increased 1.2% to INR 211.4 in the September quarter from INR 208.8 at the end of June, with growth slowing as a result of promotional 5G deals. Analysts had predicted that Jio would increase tariffs and concentrate on premium services after removing its entry-level pack in order to catch up to Bharti Airtel, which leads the sector in ARPU (INR 250 at the end of June).
Airtel has not yet released its earnings for the September quarter. In an earnings call with investors, Reliance Jio Infocomm’s head of strategy, Anshuman Thakur, said the company is encouraging customers to spend more and be happy to pay more, but it has no imminent plans to raise tariffs.
Jio Added 8.3 Million Subscribers in September
Jio Net now has 506.4 million mobile subscribers after adding 8.3 million during the September quarter. Jio had 234 million 5G users at the end of September, compared to 213 million during the previous quarter in June. Fifty percent of Jio’s wireless traffic now comes from 5G.
After more than two years, telecom companies finally hiked tariffs in July 2024, with Reliance Jio leading the way with a 12–25% pricing increase. However, Jio has not publicly discussed raising rates, despite Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd. being outspoken about the necessity of doing so in order to boost the return on capital employed (RoCE), a metric used to assess profitability and efficiency.
Earlier this month, Gopal Vittal, the managing director and vice chairman of Bharti Airtel, stated at an industry gathering that the company is using the lowest ARPUs and the lowest charge per gigabyte. But it must turn a profit. Actually, Vittal has previously demanded that the telecom price structure be changed in order to charge for more data and reduce the data allotment on certain telecom packs.
Quick Shots
•Reliance
Jio Infocomm Ltd. has no immediate plans to raise mobile phone tariffs
despite market expectations.
•The
company aims to boost revenue by encouraging higher data consumption among
users.
•ARPU
growth slowed due to promotional 5G offers.
•Jio’s
5G users reached 234 million, accounting for 50% of total wireless traffic.
Telecommunication companies are entities that facilitate communication and connectivity without the need for physical interaction. Whether it’s making phone calls, accessing the internet, or exchanging written messages via emails and SMS, the telecom sector offers comprehensive solutions at our fingertips.
Through the use of cables, wires, waves, and wireless technology, telecommunication has enabled global communication. The companies operating in this sector encompass Internet Service Providers, wired and wireless telephone operators, cable companies, and satellite providers.
In the late 1990s, the telecom sector was predominantly controlled by major national operators. However, starting from the end of 2002, the sector began undergoing privatization, marking the advent of a new era in India.
Since then, numerous telecom companies have emerged in India, catering to the communication needs of the population. Yet, only a select few have managed to thrive amidst fierce competition and establish themselves in both our hearts and the market.
The Indian telecommunication market is largely dominated by a handful of providers, responsible for offering a wide range of telecommunication services, including internet provision and calling facilities.
In this blog, we will explore the top telecommunication companies that have not only survived fierce competition but have also excelled in delivering cutting-edge solutions and reliable connectivity. From offering high-speed internet to seamless mobile services, these companies have carved a niche for themselves in the Indian market.
So, let’s embark on this journey to discover the telecommunication leaders who are revolutionizing the way we connect, communicate, and experience the world of technology in India.
Top Telecom Companies in India by Users
Mobile Operator
Market Share
Jio
40.52%
Airtel
33.67%
Vodafone Idea
17.84%
BSNL
7.89%
MTNL
0.09%
Wireless Subscriber Market Share in India as of February 2025, by Service Provider
In India, Jio leads the telecom market with a 40.52% share, followed by Airtel with 33.67%. Vodafone Idea holds 17.8% of the market, while BSNL has 7.9%. MTNL, the smallest player, accounts for just 0.09% of the market share. The competition among these operators continues to shape the country’s telecom landscape, with Jio and Airtel dominating the industry. Despite the growth of private players, BSNL and MTNL still maintain a presence, albeit with significantly smaller shares.
Fixed-line telephone, Mobile telephony, Wireless broadband, Internet services, Mobile phones, OTT services
Top Telecommunication Companies in India – Jio
Reliance Jio is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries operating in the telecom industry, since 15th February 2007, founded by Mukesh Ambani with its headquarters at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Jio is the business name for Reliance Infocom Limited and is the best telecom company in India.
The company offers multiple services including fixed-line telephone and mobile phones, wireless broadband with internet services, and OTT services. Right now Jio provides 4G, 4G+, and 5G services. However, furthermore, it is planning to expand its services to 6G. Reliance Jio is India’s biggest telecom company.
According to the reports of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Reliance Jio is the telecom company that has the highest market share in terms of being a wireless service provider. It has held40.52% of the market share among the rest of the other companies. It is the largest mobile network operator in India with over 46.72 crore (467.2 million) subscribers.
Fixed-line telephone, Mobile telephony, Broadband, Satellite television, Payments bank, Digital television, Internet television, IPTV
Top Telecommunication Companies in India – Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited, operating under the business name of Airtel, is a public company, in the telecommunication sector. It was founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal on 7th July 1995. It is headquartered in Delhi and is one of the top 3 telecom companies in India.
Airtel is also known to offer different services such as Fixed-line Telephones, Mobile Phones, Broadband, Satellite Television, Payment Bank, Digital Television, Internet television, and IPTV. Its revenue as of 2021 is 101,258 Crore INR. It is the top mobile network in India.
Airtel is known for providing 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 4G+ services. According to TRAI reports, Airtel has a 33.67% market share in the wireless subscriber market and is the second top telecom company in India after Jio.
Mobile telephony, Wireless broadband, Internet services
Biggest Telecom Company in India – Vodafone Idea
Vodafone Idea Limited, one of the top 3 telecom companies in India is also known as VI is a joint venture of Idea and Vodafone as the name suggests. It was founded in the year 2018 when two major telecommunication companies decided to merge their businesses with their headquarters in Mumbai and Gandhinagar respectively.
The telecom company deals with products like mobile Telephony, wireless broadband, and internet service. However, the company has seen a great increment since 31st October 2021. Vodafone Idea is one of the top 3 telecom companies in India.
The company was recorded to achieve a total of 269.03 million subscribers giving it the rank of the third largest telecommunication company in India after Jio and Airtel. VI’s market share is 17.84% of the total market share of telecommunication companies in the wireless subscriber market in India.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a telecommunication company owned by the Ministry of Communication, the Government of India. It is a statutory corporation founded in the year 2000, with its headquarters in New Delhi.
BSNL offers a wide range of services, including landline and mobile telephony, broadband internet, and enterprise solutions. With its extensive network infrastructure and reach across the country, BSNL, one of the oldest telecom operators in India has played a pivotal role in connecting millions of people, especially in rural and remote areas where connectivity is essential for development and communication.
Despite facing stiff competition from private players, BSNL continues to adapt and evolve to meet the changing demands of the telecommunication industry. The company’s dedication to customer satisfaction and its vast network coverage have helped it maintain a significant market presence in India. BSNL has the greatest share in terms of telecom PSUs at 7.89%.
Mobile telephony, Fixed-line telephony, Digital television, Wired and Wireless Broadband, IPTV
Top Telecommunication Companies in India – MTNL
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited or MTNL previously known as Bombay Telephone Limited is a subsidiary of BSNL owned by the Ministry of Communication, the government of India. It is a prominent telecommunications company that operates in the metropolitan cities of Delhi and Mumbai in India. Established in 1986, MTNL is a state-owned enterprise and provides a wide range of telecommunication services to its customers.
MTNL works and provides services in the fields of mobile telephony, fixed-line telephony, digital television, wired and wireless broadband, and IPTV. It was the first telecom operator in India to launch 3G mobile services, providing high-speed data and improved voice quality to its subscribers. The company continues to invest in upgrading its network infrastructure and introducing new services to meet the growing demands of its customers. MTNL has a market share of 0.09% among the other top telecommunications companies in India.
Telecom Sector Market Size
India is the world’s second-largest telecom market. As of May 2024:
Telecom Sector Market Size
Wireless users: 1.17 billion
Jio: 474.61 million
Airtel: 387.76 million
Vodafone Idea: 218.15 million
BSNL: 86.32 million
Wired broadband users: 41.31 million
Data Usage
From June to Sept 2024, total data use grew by 40.76%.
Wireless data rose 4.01% from Sept to Dec 2023.
4G used the most (86.66%), followed by 5G (12.59%), 3G (0.65%), and 2G (0.09%).
Telecom revenue: INR 91,426 crore (US$10.46 billion) in Q2 FY25.
Future
India will gain 500 million new internet users in 5 years.
By 2025, 22 million skilled workers will be needed in 5G-related fields like IoT, AI, robotics, and cloud computing.
The Indian Telecom sector is way ahead in the present time as of a few years back. India is considered the second-largest telecommunication market in the world. It has its shares of different firms involved in it. Irrespective of the number of firms working in the telecom sector, the Indian telecom industry is highly dominated by few telecommunication providers.
The top telecommunication companies in India have transformed the way we communicate, connect, and experience technology. They have not only expanded access to communication services but have also driven digital inclusion and economic growth. As we move forward, these companies will continue to redefine connectivity, enabling individuals, businesses, and the nation as a whole to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.
FAQs
What is meant by telecommunication?
The term telecommunication stands for the transfer of information through different mediums such as wire, radio, or any other electromagnetic system.
Which firms provide telecommunication systems in India?
Firms like MTNL, Jio Reliance, Vodafone Idea, etc. are known to provide telecommunication services in India.
Which is the largest telecom company in India?
Based on current data, Reliance Jio is the largest telecom company in India.
What is the count of the total subscriber base in India for the telecommunication industry?
The total subscriber base count for the telecommunication industry in India is around 1170.38 million, calculated in December 2022.
What is the driving factor of the growth of telecom sector in India?
The proliferation of smartphones and the increasing demand for high-speed internet access have been key driving factors behind the growth of the telecom sector in India. Additionally, the government’s initiatives to promote digital connectivity and the rapid expansion of mobile network coverage have further fueled the industry’s growth.
What are the employment opportunities in telecom sector?
The telecom industry offers a wide range of employment opportunities, including roles in network engineering, telecommunications infrastructure, customer support, sales and marketing, research and development, and project management.
Which telecom company is best in India?
Reliance Jio is the best telecom company in India.
Due to technological issues, the telecom regulator’s ambitious goal of making name display mandatory for incoming calls seems to have been halted.
In February, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) sent a message to telcos, asking them to combat spam and scam calls by ensuring a calling name presentation (CNAP) service on mobile phones.
However, various media reports have stated that the proposed service cannot be implemented on a national scale due to the fact that it is incompatible with 2G/3G networks and would require substantial investments in network modifications.
Hurdles That Are Blocking the Implementation
Even if there are a large number of people using 2G, the money that these consumers bring in for mobile network service providers is quite low. Consequently, it is not a realistic choice for any service provider to invest in such a technology considering that a significant number of users are unable to access it.
This indicates that the service cannot be provided to the 270–300 million users of the 2G network. The CNAP feature is expected to be supported by smartphones that have been introduced to the market after the year 2021, according to the information provided by a renowned media house.
Additional information was provided by a media article, which stated that even if the CNAP capability were included in 4G-5G devices, it would result in a longer call-setup time, which may potentially ruin the entire call experience for users.
Reason Behind the Launch of This Idea
In an effort to lessen the amount of consumer harassment caused by unknown or spam calls, Trai made a request to the government in February with the intention of mandating that telecommunications companies install the CNAP service and even pushing device OEMs to enable the feature within a period of six months.
In the past, the regulatory body for telecommunications had proposed that trials be carried out in a single licensing service area (LSA).
The Minister of State for Communications, P. Chandra Shekhar, stated in front of Parliament the previous week that the government had taken the required procedures to initiate trials and evaluations for the purpose of establishing the CNAP service by telecommunications companies.
Experts’ Take on the Situation
Since there are already sufficient mobile apps that accomplish the goal of knowing the name of the caller in order to make an informed decision about accepting or rejecting a call, experts in the handset sector stated that there is no actual hurry to enforce CNAP without considering ground realities.
Concerns about consumer data breaches were also raised by business leaders as possible problems with a nationwide mandate for the CNAP service. They claim that some mobile users might be reluctant to provide their identities due to the sensitive nature of mobile subscriber data.
The telecom regulator Trai has proposed adding the calling entity’s name to the 140-number series that companies and telemarketers use to contact subscribers.
Additionally, the telecom department has been requested to establish regulations about the necessary evidence that subscriber entities with bulk connections or business connections must give in order to register their desired name with telcos.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Ericsson.
Ericsson is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company is a worldwide leader in delivering ICT solutions. Its services include cloud applications, mobility, and broadband.
The Company offers its products and services to mobile and fixed network operators, as well as provides communications networks, telecom services, and multimedia solutions, globally.
Ericsson Corporation is a leading multinational firm of telecommunications and networking equipment, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson Inc. primarily serves network operators, transportation companies, utilities, and broadcasters in the US.
Ericsson’s growing services also offer consulting, network build-out, network optimization, and network management and maintenance services. Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers.
The company enables the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adapt, and scale, making the customers successful in a fully connected world. Its core network products are antennas, transmitters, switching systems, and other gear used to build wireless telecommunications networks.
Ericsson – Logo and its Meaning
The company prepared several variations of the stylized E. It is also called “Ericsson’s three sausages” which is actually a tilted letter ‘E’.
Ericsson’s Company Logo
To create a smoother identity, the geometry of the logo was altered to align with the pixel grid, meaning it would appear rendered on digital screens.
Ericsson – Founder and History
Founder of Ericsson – Lars Magnus Ericsson
s and undertake small mechanical engineering jobs. Once the telephone arrived in Sweden, Ericsson began being commissioned to repair and install the new invention.
He quickly realized the possibilities of the telephone and started improving and creating his versions of the device. The first telephones manufactured by Ericsson were presented in 1878. Shortly thereafter, Ericsson’s unique wall-mounted telephones would soon become known throughout the world as the “Swedish pattern”.
Today the company is leading the way in creating a connected world, one where new technologies transform the way we interact and communicate. Through its innovations and ICT solutions, the company helps transform industries and create a world of new possibilities.
Ericsson’s mission is to lead transformation through mobility. Ericsson’s mission statement says, “We empower our customers to connect people and transform industries, as well as address some of the most pressing challenges of our time like climate change, and in doing so create a more sustainable world.“
Ericsson – Joint Venture With Sony
Sony Ericsson Logo
Sony Ericsson got into the alliance on 1st October 2001 and the main objective of this joint venture is “to develop an alliance that would allow Ericsson to reduce spending on the costly development of next-generation mobile phones at a time when many European telecom companies see their inventories piling up as the world’s cell phone market is growing much more slowly.”
Joint ventures often failed because of companies not being able to build customer base products, due to which customers switched to other competitive products that provide them with more reliable and innovative products. This is also the main reason for the failure of a joint venture with Sony Ericsson.
They were providing innovative products but their marketing strategy was not as effective and they could not attract customers.
They were not providing the advanced versions of mobiles as early as other competitors of mobile phone manufacturing were providing. Their R & D was slow as compared to other mobile phone manufacturers. They were not focusing on a proactive approach, they were also not productive or reactive. So this led to the downfall of this joint venture.
Ericsson – Business Model
The company operates three reportable business segments:
Networks – Provides products and solutions for mobile and fixed communication, radio networks, core networks, IP and transmission networks, and cloud.
Global Services – Provides network rollout services and professional services – specifically, managed services, customer support, consulting and systems integration (CSI), and network design and optimization services.
Support Solutions – Provides software-based solutions for BSS and OSS, TV and media solutions, and services/solutions for the mobile commerce ecosystem.
FYI Television, Inc. (FYI) is a global TV metadata and entertainment image content expert, accumulates and distributes TV entertainment
Envivio
Sep 10, 2015
$125M
Envivio provides software-based solutions for multi-screen video processing and delivery
TimelessMIND
Apr 9, 2015
–
TimelessMIND is a consulting and systems integration company specializing in operations and business support (OSS/BSS)
Ericsson – Competitors
Ericsson’s top competitors include Amdocs, Infosys, Cisco, ZTE, Huawei, and Nokia companies.
Ericsson – Challenges Faced
On 7 December 2019, Ericsson agreed to pay more than $1.2 billion (€1.09 billion) to settle US criminal and civil investigations into foreign corruption. US authorities accused the company of conducting a campaign of corruption between 2000 and 2016 across China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kuwait, and Djibouti.
Ericsson admitted to paying bribes, falsifying books and records, and failing to implement reasonable internal accounting controls in an attempt to strengthen its position in the telecommunications industry.
Ericsson said its revenue dropped 2 percent to SEK 49.8 billion in Q1 2020 as compared with 48.9 billion in Q1 2019. Ericsson said the Covid-19 pandemic had a limited impact on operating income and cash flow in the quarter. Gross margin excluding restructuring charges improved to 40.4 percent (38.5 percent).
The revenue of Ericsson from 2017 to 2021 in billion dollars
Ericsson has successfully completed the acquisition of a cloud communication service providing company Vonage.
Malaysia is selected to be the manufacturing hub of Ericsson’s 5G equipment in Asia.
Ericsson upgraded Telstra’s optical network capacity to 400GE
Ericsson is ready to take 5G into space along with other firms like Qualcomm and Thales.
Ericsson is approached by Reliance Jio along with Nokia for 5G telecom gear.
Ericsson – Future Plans
Ericsson has its hand in the evolution of mobile networks and 5G. Their next plan is to make 5G the worldwide standard for the upcoming generation of wireless tech. The company is working with several other mobile operators AT&T, China Mobil, Deutsche Telecom, Korea Telecom, Turkcell, TeliaSonera, Verizon, and Vodafone telecom to make 5G a reality.
As we all know, IT is no longer just a support function and it needs to be redefined again and again with the changing needs, something that Ericsson has always been up to. The company’s Cloud solutions are designed as digital factories: software-defined, automated, and accessible easily.
As we move into the Networked Society, devices will become more capable and integrated into vast numbers of different applications across sectors. Ericsson takes a holistic view of the Internet of Things (IoT) by providing key solutions to make it happen like the company-managed connectivity services, applications, and systems integration activities. The Ericsson approach is to ensure that all the necessary parts exist for stakeholders and users to benefit from the Internet of Things.
Conclusion
Ericsson is a new-age ICT solution-providing company headquartered in Sweden. The company has its mission decided to empower people and create new technologies that define today’s issues with sustainable solutions.
Ericsson is a leading telecommunication and networking company that has been in a joint venture with different firms and is currently competing with companies like Infosys, Huawei, Nokia, etc. The business model and plans of Ericsson are also discussed above.
FAQs
What does Ericsson company do?
Ericsson is a Swedish technology company that provides and operates telecommunications networks, television and video systems, and related services.
Who are Ericsson’s competitors?
Ericsson’s top competitors include Amdocs, Infosys, Cisco, ZTE, Huawei, and Nokia.
Who owns Ericsson now?
The two majority owners of Ericsson have remained the same from the time of its foundation. The two owners are named the Wallenberg family and the Handelsbank Sphere.
What is Ericsson famous for?
Ericsson is famous for its service of 140 years in the industry. Since its start, it has made many revolutionary products and is responsible for some best-known products such as mobile phones, managing networks, etc.
Bharti Airtel is a public limited company commonly known as Airtel. It is an Indian telecom company, which is currently operating its business across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. It provides GSM in all the countries including 2G and 3G services. Due to its operations in more than 18 countries, Airtel is currently known as the 3rd largest mobile network operator across the globe with over a billion users and the 2nd largest mobile network operator in India.
Bharti Airtel’s Indian Customer Base, as of March 31, 2020, looked like this –
283.7 million Mobile Services
2.4 million homes
16.6 million Digital TV Services
Along with being one of India’s largest integrated telecom providers in India, Airtel is also famously ranked by Millward Brown and WPP plc in the first-ever Brandz ranking as the most valuable brand. At the end of September 2020, Airtel had around 440 Mn customers across its operations. It was known as the 3rd largest cellular service provider in India after beating China Unicomwith 303 million subscribers, when reported back in August 2015.
Along with the telephony network that Airtel provides, where the company offers prepaid and postpaid networks, it also offers broadband and DTH services for its customers. It also acts as a carrier for national and international long distances communication services. The company has a submarine cable landing station in Chennai which connects the submarine cable between Chennai and Singapore. One of the other services provided by Airtel is the Airtel Money (commerce platform in collaboration with Infosys).
Airtel is also hailed as the first Telco to launch Multiplex in Metaverse, a milestone it achieved when it unveiled Metaverse multiplex on the PartyNite Metaverse platform, which is the first Metaverse multiplex in India.
On this note, let’s look at this StartupTalky Bharti Airtel company profile, which brings the Airtel case study, competitions, Bharti Airtel subsidiaries, products, Airtel employees, Airtel telecom founded in, Airtel net worth, hiring culture, policies, Airtel’s history, Airtel’s customer base, achievements, and more.
The name “Airtel” is something that is not only popular in India but has been a buzzword since the company was founded back in 1995. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, Bharti Airtel is a multinational telecommunication company with roots in the Indian subcontinent, which currently serves users of over 18 countries. The telecom giant has provided 2G, 3G, 4G+ and 4G LTE networks, fixed-line broadband connections, and voice services, which are based on the country of operation. Besides, it has also launched the Volte service.
The Bharti Airtel company outsources all of its business operations except marketing, sales, and finance and is often credited with being the pioneer of such a business model. Besides, many of today’s telecom service providers also look up to Airtel for the same, which are now working on similar business models. Besides, Airtel is also hailed as the pioneer of the minutes’ factory model of low-cost and high volumes. The equipment that Airtel uses are provided for and maintained by companies like Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks. On the other hand, its IT support is provided by Amdocs.
A Brief History of Bharti Airtel
The Airtel founder, Sunil Mittal had primarily set up his business Bharti Overseas Trading Company in 1980, which was an import enterprise where he dealt with generators and more. Then he saw a push-button phone in Taiwan in 1984, seeing that he eventually started to assemble similar phones. Focusing on the same, he founded Bharti Telecom Limited in the early 1990s. Though he started with manufacturing fax machines, cordless phones, and other telecom gear, he soon discovered that the Indian government was inviting bids for mobile telephony in 1992, and Sunil was successful in bidding for one of the four mobile phone network licensed auctioned.
He later went for collaborating with the French telecom group Vivendi, which eventually agreed to do business with him in spite of Mr Mittal being a small timer at that time. This led him to launch his cellular services in Delhi in 1995. Thus, Bharti Cellular Limited was formed to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel. In 1996, cellular service extended to Himachal Pradesh. In 1999, the Bharti Enterprise went on to acquire control of JT holdings and extended cellular operations to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Then, in 2000, Bharti acquired control over Skycell communications in Chennai.
In 2001, the company acquired control of the Spice cell in Kolkata. Next, the company got listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange. In 2003, all the cellular phone operations of the company were summed up under the single brand of Airtel. Airtel then acquired control over Hexcom and entered Rajasthan in 2005. It then extended its network all across India in 2005 and launched its first international mobile network in Sri Lanka.
It was under the direction of the company’s Founder, Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal that the company became very successful and within a few years, AirTel turned into the first telecom company to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark.
On 13th February 2008, Bharti Airtel Limited, the leading telecommunication company in India, crossed the 60 million customer mark. The wireless segment constituted 96% of BAL total customer base. The valuation of BAL then stood at $40 billion in 2008. BA was the fastest in the world and added 8 million customers in 2008. This puts Bharti Airtel among the top telecom companies in the world. Its next target was to reach 100 million mark by 2010. This was also crossed by the company. Airtel is currently standing with a subscriber base of around 354.40 million subscribers in 2021.
Airtel’s actual name was Bharti Cellular Limited (BCL), the company which later began to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel.
“AISI AZADI AUR KAHAN” is one of the prominent taglines adopted by Airtel.
Airtel logo
Bharti Airtel – Mission and Vision
“Hunger to win customers for life” is the mission of Airtel.
“Our vision is to enrich the lives of our customers. Our obsession is to win customers for life through an exceptional experience.” – says the Vision statement of the brand.
Bharti Airtel as The Market Champion
Airtel strives to align its HR strategies with its corporate strategy. The HR team makes sure to see if the organization teams have the same attitude that would help employees realize the vision of the company. The company emphasizes recruiting young people with an average age of 26 years. This is done because the company wants to bring in young entrants and would them as per the business organization and at the same time, enhance their interaction and creativity.
Senior management was advised by the HR management as they are encouraged to put forward their views openly in order, to play a more proactive role in team-building efforts. This was further augmented by a reward and recognition system along with a strong training program. As a part of the planning process, the entire organization is measured on five performance parameters, which includes its financial performance, profitability, market share, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction.
Bharti Airtel – Growth
Bharti Airtel has grown hugely throughout the years in the telecommunication sector. The company is currently spread across 18+ different countries including those in South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. Building a big name for itself, Airtel is currently known as the second-largest mobile network in India along with being the second-largest mobile network in the world.
Along with offering an efficient mobile network, Airtel also brings a wide array of products and services to its customers:
Broadband
Digital television
Banking
Business
Android-based tablet
Airtel unveiled on June 14, 2022, it’s first, which is, in fact, India’s first Metaverse platform on the PartyNite Metaverse platform. Xstream multiplex, which Airtel launched, is designed as a 20-screen platform and will be an extension of Airtel’s Xstream Premium offering. Such a platform will leverage the content library of Airtel and will offer many more layers of engagement, thereby allowing the users to interact on the PartyNite Metaverse. This new Airtel multiplex will offer a sampling of the original shows and movies in many other languages along with those in English and Hindi.
Airtel and Jio, it seems, are quite locked together to gain market share in India. According to the TRAI data for April 2022, Jio held a 35.5% market share in the wireless telecom market of the country whereas Airtel was positioned at the second spot with a market share that equalled 31.61%.
Google has picked up a minor and non-controlling 1.28% stake in Airtel for $700 mn, as per the reports dated July 1, 2022. The deal comes after around 5 months since it was proposed. This deal is part of the larger Google For India Digitisation Fund, which the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, announced in July 2020. The tech behemoth also said then that it would keep an additional $300 mn worth of funds for potential multi-year commercial agreements with Airtel. This investment in Bharti Airtel marks the second Google investment in India. The first was when Google invested $4.5 bn in Jio in 2020, picking up a 7.73% stake in the company. This investment from Google will help both Airtel and Google to ramp up the telco’s enterprise cloud solutions, which are being operated currently with Amazon. The deal would also help both parties to work unitedly to create an array of affordable Android devices in partnership with the device manufacturers. Moreover, the deal would also help them develop 5G use cases specific to India and create multiple network solutions. The shares of Airtel were allocated on July 14, 2022, when Bharti Airtel approved the allotment of more than 71.17 crore shares to Google at an issue price of Rs 734, which includes a premium of Rs 729 per equity share. In the conclusion of this, Google’s stakes in Airtel stand at 1.20% of the total post-equity shares or 1.17% of the telecom company on a fully-diluted basis.
Airtel Financials and Revenues
The average revenue per user of Airtel rose to Rs 178 crore in the January-March quarter of 2022. This rise was mainly due to the strong user additions, higher tariffs, and one-time gains. The consolidated net profits of Airtel increased by 164% to become Rs 2008 crore in FY22.
Bharti Airtel- Service Rule and Regulation of Employees
In Airtel, you are an at-will employee, this means you are working at your own will without any force or pressure before you join the company. You must sign terms and condition agreement that will state the corporate governance of the company which is:
Employees must report to their superiors and maintain disciplinary work.
All employees will be paid monthly by cheque procedure.
In case of leave, employees must draft a detailed application mentioning the reason for leave.
A lunch break of 1 Hour will be provided.
Bharti Airtel- Promotion Policy and Wage Structure
AirTel engages a policy under which an employee gets his/her due promotion in the organization, which is a reward for an excellent performance. Under the rules that govern the promotion, AirTel states that the employee must have successfully completed 6 months to be eligible for promotion in Airtel. The internal application process is carried out and all the previous records are checked and the performance is analyzed.
The internal relationship between different jobs and wages helps the firm to decide its wage structure. 60% of its employees have a variable pay structure where they get paid according to the work done. The company considers factors such as performance and maintains internal equity to ensure people at the same level are paid for the same amount of work.
The success story of Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel – Training and Development of Employees
Airtel has a vast pool of human resources that are upgraded from time to time in terms of leadership and technical skills through various outsourced and in-house training and development activities such as process and project management skills and technical skills. By providing world-class resources and combined efforts by Airtel many employees are being trained to become future leaders. The company’s HR is continuously working on launching various initiatives like on-job training, programmed learning, simulated development, and computed-based training.
The on-job training is where a person learns a job actually doing it. Every employee from the mailroom, from a clerk to the CEO, gets job training when they join the company. Informal learning is used as 80% of the employees learn on the job they learn not through informal training, including performing their jobs on a daily basis in collaboration with their colleagues.
The company provides a job instruction training program that takes place every month in Airtel in which a logical sequence of steps is taught step by step. On a quarterly basis programmed learning is followed by Airtel in which self-learning methods consist of Presenting questions, facts, or problems to the learner and allowing the person to respond.
Application – In Airtel existing openings are monitored and accordingly position procedures are being carried out matching candidates’ profiles and areas of interest.
Screening – Matching of the profile is done by the company with respect to its requirements and needs.
Assessment – An aptitude test is required for the job of the front line sales. For considering the middle and senior-level job occupational personality questionnaire was done.
Interview– Airtel takes 1 to 3 rounds for the interview process. Then the final appointment letter is being offered with the company’s terms & conditions memo, which every employee must sign.
Airtel has an incentive pay scheme managers often use two terms synonymously incentive plan for the employees that are applicable to sales over the target achieved. Merit pay as incentives is generally done by the company for excellent performance by the employee in the last term of his/her employment. The other non-monetary incentives include Employee recognition, Gifts, Special events, merchandise incentives, and free training programs.
When it comes to the benefits, they are indirect financial and non-financial payments employees receive for continuing their employment. They include things like health and life insurance pensions, time off with pay, and child care assistance. The company also provides Life and Health insurance for families and dependents. Different types of leaves like study leave, extraordinary leave, petrol allowance, and family holidays.
Along with helping the employees on many different fronts, Airtel also cares for others as well, especially the startups of today.
Airtel Launches Startup Accelerator Program to Support Startups
Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated telecommunications company, announced the launch of its Startup Accelerator Program on October 25, 2019, to support the growth of early-stage Indian tech startups. With the advent of its Start-up Accelerator Program, Airtel aims to support the creation of a vibrant startup ecosystem that contributes to “Digital India”.
Through Airtel’s Startup Accelerator, early startups get access to Airtel’s online and offline distribution network, deep market understanding, and ecosystem of global strategic partners. In addition, Airtel has also developed strong in-house capabilities around machine learning and artificial intelligence, which could be leveraged to aid the growth of startups. Furthermore, startups also get access to advisory services from Airtel’s executive team.
Vahan was the first to join Airtel Startup Accelerator. Airtel announced the induction of Bengaluru-based tech startup Vahan into its Startup Accelerator Program. Airtel will acquire a stake in Vahan and partner with them in building a significant scale to achieve their vision of enabling jobs for the next billion internet users. Founded in 2016 and backed by Y Combinator and Khosla Ventures, Vahan leverages advanced Artificial Intelligence to match job seekers with employers inside messaging apps such as Whatsapp. It is focused on finding blue collar jobs for millions of young Indians in Delivery, Driving, Retail, BFSI, BPO and Hospitality sectors with companies such as Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo as clients.
Today, early stage startups in India have some very exciting ideas but face multiple challenges in scaling up. With Airtel’s scale and digital capabilities around distribution and payments, we have the potential to drive accelerated growth of emerging startups that are solving hard problems. The team at Vahan is doing some incredible work to bring jobs to millions of people through AI based technology. We are excited to partner with them on this vision.
Madhav Krishna, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vahan, said: “
Airtel will be a key partner for us as we look to solve a hard problem for Bharat. Most blue-collar job seekers are unaware of the opportunities that exist in the market, especially new-age on-demand jobs. Airtel’s distribution channels will help us reach the very depths of the country and in turn, help millions of Indians take control of their economic destiny. We are incredibly excited about this partnership.
Bharti Airtel – Partnerships
Bharti Airtel has seen a considerable number of partnerships and collaborations to date. Some of them are mentioned below:
Bharti Airtel partnered with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco on April 28, 2022, in order to help in the development of state-of-the-art ambulances that will be equipped with Airtel 5G.
The company partnered with Mavenir for open radio access network-based 5G field trials. The first Open RAN-based 5G NSA validation was done on April 5, 2022.
Airtel and Tech Mahindra partnered together to “build and market innovative solutions for India’s digital economy by bringing together their core strengths”, said an Airtel PR dated March 31, 2022.
A PR rolled out by Airtel on December 14, 2021, stated that the company partnered with Capgemini to announce 5G-based enterprise-grade solutions to the Indian market.
Bharti Airtel and TCS collaborated to build a 5G-based remote working technology using robotics on December 2, 2021.
BlueJeans – Bharti partnered with Verizon to launch BlueJeans, a video conferencing platform like JioMeet. The platform can accommodate 50,000 attendees and is simple and intuitive to use. With the launch of BlueJeans, Airtel and Verizon tend to provide a safer video conferencing experience to the customers. Hans Vestberg, Chief Executive Officer of Verizon, said during a virtual press conference that the data of all the customers will be hosted in India and stored within the data centres all over India. The per-call costs have also been dropped to INR 0.50. It is also having the Airtel Auto Bridge feature, which allows users to benefit from an unlimited calling feature within the National/International range. This new feature also consists of HD video calling with Dolby voice support. It also allows users to schedule, join or host the meets with the one-click feature. With the involvement of ‘Smart Meetings’ feature in BlueJeans it will allow the user to get hold of the important points and assign certain actions to the people. They are also trying to add certain packages for the enterprises in the upcoming days. Vittal said in a statement, “We will have three kinds of packages for our consumers one for large enterprise, the second one for medium, and the third for tiny or small business. We will reveal packages for BlueJeans over the next few days.” The company is also sure that the prices will be competitive. Airtel has been a new entry in the video conferencing sector shortly after the launch of JioMeet by Reliance Jio. Players from the telecom Industry entering the video conferencing sector will be interesting. It is making a great competitive market in this industry. BlueJeans was founded by Krish Ramakrishnan and Alagu Periyannan, in India only. The first prototype was tested back in 2009 and 2012 in Pune at the company’s research and department centre. However, Verizon, in May 2020, tried to acquire it and give it a boost. It will be interesting to see how things go in the upcoming days and brings us interesting content.
Some of the major achievements and milestones earned by Bharti Airtel are listed below –
AirtelThanks App was recognized as one of the most innovative mobile application in the prestigious ET Telecom Awards 2020.
Airtel won four awards in each category of Video Experience, Games Experience, Voice App Experience and Download Speed Experience in the Open Signal Report in September 2020, for the second time in a row.
Airtel Xstream Fiber won the Best Broadband Service Provider in ET Telecom Awards 2020.
Airtel Business won the “Best Partnership” award at Telecoms World Middle East Awards 2019 for partnering with Telecom Egypt.
Airtel Business won 3 prestigious awards at Global Carrier Awards 2019, namely, Best Global Wholesale Carrier – Voice, Best Voice Service Innovation – Emerging Markets and Best Security Solution.
Airtel Finance shared services team has bagged the coveted Digital Initiative Award by HDFC bank in the Large Customer Category.
Airtel Business has been awarded as the “Enterprise Data Service Provider of the Year” and the “Enterprise Telecom Service Provider of the Year” in the large enterprise segment at the Frost and Sullivan ICT Awards
App Annie ranked Wynk Music as India’s #1 music streaming app in terms of Daily Active Users in October 2019.
And the list goes on & on…
Bharti Airtel – Future Plans
Bharti Airtel is currently planning to launch its 5G services in the country. The Union Cabinet earlier gave its nod for the auction of 72 GHz of 5G spectrum, which is planned to be conducted in July 2022.
Recommendations
Bharti Airtel is currently doing incredibly well in recent times it is expected with same quality services and has the prospective to overtake China’s Unicom in a few years making Airtel one of the world leaders when it comes to being a world leader in telecommunication. This is possible because of the company’s expansion in African and Asian countries making it a global company. Airtel also has good relations with its business partners like Ericsson, Siemens, and IBM.
The company has strong HR policies that help in maintaining its corporate governance structure. The profit and assets are also increasing at a considerably good rate, making its turnover cross $643.25 bn. Good customer schemes and support services make Airtel capture a major chunk of the competitive market.
FAQs
What is the difference between Airtel and Bharti Airtel?
Bharti Airtel and Airtel are the same company, a subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises.
Reliance Jio, we all have been hearing a lot about this company for the past few years. Reliance Jio is a well-structured company whose business model is considered ‘the sweetest data bait.’
Jio has proven itself the icon of international tech and private capital investors. According to estimated data, Jio has raised Rs. 67,194.75 crore from the forthcoming technology investors including Silver Lake, General Atlantic, Facebook, and Vista Equity.
With the vibrant interest of the foreign investors in the Indian market have signed several deals for Reliance Jio. When it comes to the business model of Jio, the company has opted for very cleverish strategies which have resulted in remarkable profits for the company.
Reliance Jio holds a very strong position in the market with an immense customer base. Through this article, we will be discussing the business model of Reliance Jio briefly along with its tremendous marketing strategies. Let’s begin!
Jio is officially termed as Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited which functions as the Indian telecommunications company. Jio was founded by Mukesh Ambani in 2007 as the subsidiary of Reliance Industries.
Reliance Jio, which functions as a subsidiary of Jio platforms and telecommunications services providers has its well-established headquarter in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Alongside the company operates all 22 telecom circles through the National LTE network. Through this, Jio provides the voice service on its 4G network, that too only from the LTE network.
Today, Jio is known as the largest mobile network operator across India and the third-largest in the world. The company has over 42.62 crore subscribers. Recently in 2019, Jio launched its service of fiber to the home, where it offers television, telephone, and home broadband services. As of 2020, Reliance Jio raised its funds by selling around 33% equity stake in Jio Partner, worth Rs. 1.65 lakh crore that is, US$23 billion.
Jio Business Model and the success story
Key Product and Services of Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio Services
Reliance Jio offers tons of amazing services through its fiber-to-the-home services. Its key services include telephone services, television, and home broadband services.
While its key products are Mobile Phones, top-notch internet speed and services, fixed-line telephone, OTT services, and Wireless broadband.
Target Audience of Reliance Jio
Reliance Jio majorly concentrates on the audience who are smartphone users. It provides the service of high-speed internet and great android mobile services. Jio targets the urban and two-tier middle and upper-class people. Jio works towards transforming India into a digital nation.
Jio, being the highest in the market strategizes its business model in a very significant and unique way. It has opted for the formula of ‘Unique Selling Point.’ This basically means Jio offering such unique and advantageous services to their customers that can not be resisted. This can be elaborate as when Jio launched the unlimited offer with a 4G server, people of India weren’t encountered 4G at all. And with such a unique offer, how can someone turn it down? And that’s what benefits the company of Reliance Jio.
Jio offers a broad range of customer-based features and services like high-speed Internet, free voice calls, unlimited texting, and many other. All these are developed to charge money from the customers. Its tariff plans are exclusively built to catch consumers’ eyes.
Jio has offered some very exclusive services to its customers with a fully served 4G network. Jio was the first to bring on the popularity and use of 4G network while other telecom companies were still working with 3G networks. And with this significant approach, Jio builds the biggest loyal customers base. People wanted more things in less price, Jio took the opportunity and provided them that. This unique strategy is what brought Jio where it is now!
What is unique about the business model of Reliance Jio?
Jio has opted for the most powerful and promising business strategies, which has surely brought great benefits and profit to it. Its business model is very simple, yet unique. The most unique thing about Jio is it offers free voice calls to its customers. According to statistics, only 10-15% of the Jio 4G network is used for calling while the other 85-90% is used for data. And when you have this amount of popularity and usage, paying a little price is always worth it. That’s what Jio does!
In this way, it attracts more and more customers to its services and creates a significant marketing buzz with free offerings. In all manner, it’s beneficial for the company.
How does Reliance Jio make money?
Reliance Jio generates its money from two major options- Charging extra per unit and selling more units. And as compared to other telecom companies, Jio sells way more of its units to generate more money.
For those who refer to Jio as a cheap telecom service provider, they are talking about its per-unit cost. But apart from this, the company charges its customers INR 154 for ARPU. And this amount is higher than any other telecom operator company.
So, the Jio customers are actually paying more for the cheap products. Jio does not provide the facility of paying just INR 10 per month as compared to other telecom companies. Jio majorly focuses on generating more money through all its plans.
With its incredible marketing strategy of generating money through Jio tariff plans that come in 4G network brings great profit for the company. Jio follows different pricing options and makes enormous customer deals.
They offer various applications, devices, and fiber services to multiply their revenue. This helps Jio to win numerous business verticals. And with such marketing strategies and development, Jio’s market value and position are unbeatable.
FAQs
What is the revenue of Reliance?
Reliance has a revenue of 7.27 lakh crores INR (US$100 billion, 2021).
Since its entry into India in 2007, Vodafone has established itself as a trusted mobile service provider in the country. After the launch of Reliance Jio, the company is facing tough competition in India, and some are even speculating the shut down of the company in India. Besides India, Vodafone has its operations in over 30 countries worldwide, and despite its ups and downs, Vodafone has managed to hold a significant share of the telecommunications market in many countries across the world. Vodafone is yet another example of a business that started small and went on to make a mark worldwide. Here is how Vodafone started and rose to become a leading player in the global telecommunication sector.
Racal Strategic Radio Ltd, a component of Racal Electronics, Britain’s biggest manufacturer of military radio equipment, launched a joint enterprise with American telecommunications company Millicom in 1981, which evolved into the modern Vodafone.
Today Vodafone provides a wide range of products and services for consumers, businesses, and Governments. Besides mobile services, Vodafone offers fixed broadband and television services, cloud and hosting, internet protocol-virtual private network services, roaming, and unified communications services.
Vodafone’s M-Pesa is a mobile financial and mobile payment service that allows customers to access their bank accounts to receive or send money, purchase stuff, make bill-payments, save funds, and get simple loans; and Vodafone One Net is a converged fixed and mobile communications service for big multinational companies as well as small and medium enterprises.
Vodafone also provides machine-to-machine services, as well as tablets, smartphones, and telematics commodities/services. It has roughly 16,000 retail locations, distributors, and third-party merchants selling its products.
Vodafone – Latest News
Vodafone’s first-quarter revenue for FY2021-22 increased by 1.4 percent in Germany which is its biggest market. In the UK, as international travel reopened, the telecoms behemoth benefited from visitors to the UK utilizing its network. A marginal increase in Vodafone’s revenue also came as it levied roaming fees as a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Overall, the Vodafone group made revenue worth $51.169B in FY 2020-21 which is 2.32% more than in FY 2019-2020 revenue.
Since the pandemic, Vodafone has experienced a resurgence in mobile phone sales, with greater customer loyalty across Europe, according to the company.
Vodafone – Industry
Companies in the telecommunications sector make communication possible on a worldwide scale, whether it’s through the internet or phone, over waves or wires, or digitally. These businesses built the infrastructure that allows data to be transferred anywhere in the globe in the form of text, speech, audio, or video. Telephone (both landline and wireless) operators, satellite companies, cable companies, and Internet service providers are the main corporations in the industry.
Telecommunications has grown in importance as a fundamental business, which speaks well for its prospects for the future and expansion. Continuous advancements in high-speed mobile networks and Network connectivity across devices continue to fuel industry invention and rivalry. Most of the industry’s attention is focused on delivering quicker data solutions, particularly in the field of high-resolution video. The driving causes are essentially faster and crisper services, improved connection, and multi-app utilization.
Vodafone is an acronym for VOice DAta FONE (a dramatic spelling of “phone”), which was selected by the firm to “represent the availability of telecommunication services through mobiles.”
Saatchi & Saatchi, a well-known worldwide advertising business, created the Vodafone logo in 1997. Conversation and voice communication is represented by the apostrophe in the logo. It brilliantly delivers a classic telecom brand that conveys its intended message in an aesthetically attractive manner.
Vodafone’s tagline says, “Together We Can.”
Vodafone – CEO and Founders
Vodafone was founded by Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent in 1985.
Ernest Harrison
Sir Ernest Thomas Harrison OBE (11 May 1926 – 16 February 2009) was a British entrepreneur who was best known for being the first chairman of Racal’s spin-off mobile phone section, Vodafone.
Gerry Whent
Sir Gerald Arthur “Gerry” Whent CBE was the founder and first CEO of Vodafone. He was born on March 1, 1927, in Ferozepore, India, and died on May 16, 2002, in Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire.
Nick Read
Nicholas Jonathan Read aka Nick Read is the current CEO of Vodafone group. Born in 1964, Nick is a Certified Management Accountant. Prior to joining the Vodafone group, Nick worked for United Business Media Plc and Federal Express Worldwide. At Federal Express Worldwide, Nick worked as the Chief Finacial Officer for Europe, the Middle East, and the Africa region.
Nick joined Vodafone UK as the finance director in the year 2001 and became the CEO of the Vodafone group in 2018.
Ravinder Takkar
In India, Ravinder Takkar is the MD & CEO of Vodafone-Idea. He was the Ex- CEO of Vodafone Romania.
Vodafone – Startup Story
Based in Newbury in the United Kingdom, Vodafone has been offering its services since 1985. Vodafone’s story dates back to 1981. British Electronics company Racal Electronics and American company Millicom Inc joined hands to bid jointly for UK’s second cellular radio license. The joint venture between the two companies was named Racal-Millicom Ltd. In December 1982, Racal-Millicom Ltd. was successful in earning the second Mobile phone network license of the UK.
The Network was named Vodafone as the network lets its users transfer voice and data over the mobile phones. Racal-Vodafone (Holdings) Ltd became the holding company of Vodafone replacing Racal-Millicom Ltd. Racal held the majority shares in Racal-Vodafone (Holdings) Ltd. Meanwhile, Racal’s radio division earlier called Racal Strategic Radio was renamed Racal Telecommunication group limited.
In December 1986, Racal Electronics bought the entire shares of Vodafone from the minority shareholders, and thus Racal became the sole owner of the Vodafone brand.
In September 1988, Racal Telecommunication group limited was renamed Racal Telecom. In October 1988, when Racal Telecom went public, it came out that Racal Telecom was valued much more than its parent company Racal Electronics. This led to the de-merger of Racal Telecom from Racal Electronics, and Racal Telecom was renamed again as the Vodafone Group. Gerry Whent became the first CEO of Vodafone Group.
Vodafone – Mission and Vision
Vodafone’s mission statement says, “To connect for a better future and our expertise and scale gives us a unique opportunity to drive positive change for society.”
Vodafone’s vision is, “To be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world and to enrich our customer’s lives through the unique power of mobile communication.”
Vodafone – India
Vodafone India (previously Vodafone Essar Ltd, Huchison Essar Ltd) is the Indian subsidiary of the UK-based Vodafone Group plc and a telecommunications service provider in India, having its operating headquarters in Mumbai. Vodafone India has a market share of 21% as of March 2018, and after merging with Idea, the Vodafone Idea network now has around 375 million members, making it India’s third-biggest cellular mobile provider.
The advent of Jio in the Indian telecom business in 2016 prompted a flurry of mergers and corporate restructuring. In March 2017, it was reported that Idea Cellular and Vodafone India will be consolidated. In July 2018, the Department of Telecommunications approved the merger. The Vodafone-Idea merger received final approval from the National Company Law Tribunal on August 30, 2018. On August 31, 2018, the merger was finalized, and the newly formed company was named Vodafone Idea Limited.
As per September 2021 data, Vodafone Idea Limited is the third-largest mobile communication network in India on the basis of the number of subscribers. The Vodafone Group owns 45.2 percent of the merged firm, the Aditya Birla Group owns 26 percent, and the remaining shares are held by the general public.
Vodafone is well known as a mobile service provider, but there are many more categories that Vodafone has entered into. Vodafone offers broadband and wifi services. Another popular service is Vodafone TV. Vodafone TV has been designed to offer an all-round entertainment option to the viewers. On Vodafone TV, viewers can access live TV, Video on Demand and can also access platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Vodafone TV comes with attractive features like Ultra HD picture quality, intelligent voice search and smart replay of games, etc.
Vodafone released Vodafone 360, a new internet provider for mobile, PC, and Mac, in October 2009. After low hardware sales, this was canceled in December 2011. This followed the resignation of the Director of Internet Services in September 2010, who tweeted, “5 days until I leave Vodafone, freedom beckons.” Vodafone launched, Vodafone 150, which is the world’s cheapest mobile phone, in February 2010. Vodafone intended to sell ‘Vodafone 150’ for less than $15 (£10) in underdeveloped countries. It began in India, Turkey, and eight African countries, including Lesotho, Kenya, and Ghana.
Some other services offered by Vodafone are –
Payment through mobile phone – Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest mobile communication operator and a Vodafone joint venture, released Vodafone-developed digital payments software in March 2007. M-PESA, Kenya’s mobile money transfer service, had 1.6 million users by February 2008. By 2011, there were fourteen million M-Pesa accounts, with 40% of the country’s savings saved in them. Vodafone launched a global collaboration with Visa in February 2012.
Health Services – Vodafone launched a newly developing market sector in November 2009 (the application of mobile communications and network technologies to healthcare). Several of its early accomplishments is the Novartis-led “SMS for Life” project in Tanzania, for which Vodafone designed and developed a message-based system that allows all of Tanzania’s 4,600 public healthcare facilities to report their levels of anti-malarial medications so that accurate inventory data can be seen centrally in legitimately, allowing for quick and efficient re-supply of stock.
Vodafone Foundation – With the tagline “Connecting for Good,” the Vodafone Foundation is a well-known charity that supports and initiates programs that employ mobile technology as a means to assist the needy. They frequently collaborate with other philanthropic organizations.
Vodafone – Business Model and Revenue Model
Various economic variables have an influence on the industry’s enterprises, including high infrastructure costs, price wars in various market forces, and enmeshed mobile telephony sector, and government restrictions. Government laws, such as the recent Vodafone-Hutch transaction, which the Indian government sanctioned for tax evasion. Vodafone uses a mix of segmentation tactics to divide its mobile network services, enterprise services, and internet services. It makes use of geographic, demographic, and psychographic segmentation.
Coming to Vodafone’s revenue model, a huge chunk of Vodafone’s revenue comes from selling mobile data, voice, financial services, and messaging services to individual and enterprise customers. Vodafone also makes money by offering various other services like cloud and hosting, cyber security solutions, remote working solutions, IoT related services and more to the enterprise customers. As per 2019- 20 reports, the company is aiming to diversify its revenue streams further in segments like financial services, IoT, digital services and enterprise.
As per some reports, Vodafone’s mobile networks, which allow consumers to call, text, and download files, account for about 70% of its revenues and even more of its earnings. Fixed-line services, which include internet, TV, and voice, make for the majority of the remaining revenue.
Vodafone – Investments
Vodafone has made 25 investments in total. Below are some of the recent investments made by Vodafone.
Date
Organization Name
Round
Amount
Apr 7, 2021
AST SpaceMobile
Post-IPO-Equity
$230M
Jan 20, 2021
FifthIngenium
Convertible Note
€470K
Mar 3, 2020
AST SpaceMobile
Series B
$110M
Aug 1, 2016
DAZL
Seed Round
$10.5K
Jun 30, 2016
Fight The Stroke
Seed Round
–
Jul 27, 2015
Cognia
Venture Round
–
Jun 22, 2015
LINKX
Seed Round
€30K
Jun 22, 2015
Mentelity
Grant
€30K
Jun 22, 2015
Jobtease
Seed Round
€30K
Jun 22, 2015
Puffer
Seed Round
€30K
Vodafone – Acquisitions
Vodafone has acquired 32 organizations. Some recent acquisitions made by Vodafone are –
Acquiree Name
About Acquiree
Date
Amount
GrandCentrix
GrandCentrix develops and provides a platform for suppliers of interactive mobile value-added services
Nov 18, 2019
–
Liberty Global
Liberty Global is an international cable company providing television, broadband internet, and telephony services.
Jul 31, 2019
$21.3B
Hellas Online
Hellas Online is one of the leading Greek fixed-line telephony services providers based in Athens
Aug 22, 2014
€72.7M
Cobra Automotive Technologies
Cobra Automotive Technologies design, development, manufacture and marketing of electronic systems.
Aug 1, 2014
–
The Cobra Group
The Cobra Group is an Electronics company.
Jun 16, 2014
€145M
ONO
Communications and Entertainment
Mar 17, 2014
€7.2M
Kabel Deutschland
Kabel Deutschland is the largest cable television operator in Germany.
Jun 24, 2013
$10.4B
Complete Telecom
Complete Telecom provides network infrastructure, converged networks, and metro and WAN bandwidth solutions.
Oct 1, 2012
–
Cable & Wireless Worldwide
Cable & Wireless Worldwide is a global telecommunications company.
Apr 23, 2012
–
Bluefish Communications
Consulting and Professional Services
Dec 1, 2011
–
Vodafone – Growth
Year
Revenue
Percentage Increase/Decrease From previous Year
2021
$51.169B
+2.32%
2020
$50.011B
-1.1%
2019
$50.565B
-18.16%
Vodafone – Competitors
Vodafone’s top global competitors are : AT&T, BT, Orange, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Telstra, Tata Communications, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Liberty Global and Telefonica Colombia.
Vodafone’s business will almost certainly continue to be hampered by tough regulatory frameworks and adverse demographic trends in its major European countries, particularly in Spain and Italy, which account for over 25% of revenues and have some of the weaker fundamentals.
Meanwhile, Vodafone’s capital allocation history does not bode well for the company’s M&A (Merger & Acquisition)plan. Since 2009, Vodafone has incurred more than $50 billion in impairment charges, which reflect the fact that an acquired asset is currently worth less than what Vodafone paid for it.
Vodafone is one of the major telecommunications businesses in the world, having a strong presence in its main European countries. However, due to its increased fragmentation and fewer business-friendly authorities, this is a challenging region to compete in when compared to America.
In light of Vodafone’s need to continue deleveraging and invest substantially in 5G, cautious income investors may choose to avoid the stock in favor of more stable telecom companies like Verizon (VZ), which have more obvious routes to profitable long-term development.
In India, Vodafone is burdened by huge dues. In total Vodafone Idea has total debt of ₹1.92 trillion, which includes AGR dues, Spectrum-related dues, and bank loans. Stiff competition from reliance JIO is another major challenge Vodafone (Currently Vodafone Idea) is facing in India.
Vodafone – Future Plans
In the March quarter, Vodafone Idea recorded a net loss of Rs 7,022 crore and net debt of Rs 1.7 lakh crore.
“Financial performance has impacted its ability to generate the cash flow that it needs to settle/refinance its liabilities and guarantees as they fall due,” the company said, “which, combined with its financial condition, is resulting in material uncertainty that casts significant doubt on the Company’s ability to make the payments mentioned therein and continue as a going concern.”
Vodafone Idea stated in a statement that it is undertaking 5G testing in the cities of Pune and Gandhinagar, utilizing spectrum authorized by the government.
With its equipment partners in Gandhinagar and Pune, the telecom claimed to have reached peak download rates of 1.5 Gbps utilizing the 3.5 GHz spectrum.
Jagbir Singh, CTO at Vodafone Idea, said, “We are pleased with the speed and latency results in the initial stages of the 5G trials on the government allocated 5G spectrum bands. Having established a robust 4G network pan-India, delivering fastest 4G speeds and a 5G-ready network, we are now testing the next generation 5G technology to be able to bring a truly digital experience for enterprises and consumers in India, in the future.”
However, despite all its efforts, ‘Vodafone Idea’ is not in a good position in India. As expressed by Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read, the company has no plans to infuse fresh funds into the ‘Vodafone-Idea’ Venture.
In its fiscal Q4 and full 2021 earnings statement, Vodafone Group stated that it will focus on growing as “a new generation connectivity and digital services provider” for Europe and Africa.
The Covid 19 pandemic has proved yet again that connectivity and digital services are crucial to society and Vodafone Group is ready to grab the opportunities that the Covid situation has created in the field of connectivity and digitization.
As per Vodafone CEO Read, the company is targeting revenue growth and disciplined capital allocation. It is also working on bringing down operating costs by 20% across its European and central Units by the end of the financial year 2023.
Vodafone – FAQs
What does Vodafone do?
Vodafone (based in Newbury, the United Kingdom) is a telecommunication services firm that provides phone, text, and data services via mobile and fixed networks, as well as fixed broadband and television services, cloud and hosting, internet protocol-virtual private network services, roaming, and unified communications services.
Who founded Vodafone?
Vodafone was founded by Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent in 1985.
When was Vodafone founded?
Vodafone was founded by Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent in 1985.
How does Vodafone make money?
Vodafone’s mobile networks, which allow consumers to call, text, and download files, account for about 70% of its revenues and even more of its earnings. Fixed-line services, which include internet, TV, and voice, make for the majority of the remaining revenue.
Which companies do Vodafone compete with?
Vodafone’s top global competitors are : AT&T, BT, Orange, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Telstra, Tata Communications, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Liberty Global and Telefonica Colombia.
Vodafone’s top competitors in India are Bhart Airtel, Reliance Jio, Tata Communications, etc.
On 28th August, it was announced that Bharti Airtel might get an investment of up to thousands of crores from Google. According to sources, Google and Airtel were in talks for over a year and are currently said to be in the advanced stages of negotiations. Airtel is also planning other fundraising options as it had a debt of Rs 1.6 lakh crore in June 2020 because it was unable to raise tariffs freely.
Google had earlier invested over Rs 33,737 crore in Reliance industries digital subsidiary, Jio Platforms Ltd in order to get a stake of over 7.73% in the Jio platforms which is currently the main rival of Airtel. Both Google and Airtel have not made any formal announcements regarding the upcoming deal, but media sources say that Google’s investment in Airtel will be several thousand crores of rupees.
The details of the partnership are being worked up by the executives of both the companies, while their internal and external legal and M&A teams are involved with sorting out the smaller details of the arrangement.
According to one of the Analysts, “The entry of Google adds strength to the balance sheet of Airtel. Also, it helps the company strategically as Google brings in innovation capabilities and strength on data analytics. Google’s data monetization is far superior to any other company in the world, and it can help Airtel monetize its data much better to improve its realizations and profitability.”
The analyst also added that, Google may have big reasons to why it’s investing in Airtel as, “If anything goes wrong tomorrow, your (Google) credibility in the market goes out even though it will be limited liability. To save its name, the company will have to settle its dues in case Airtel is not able to move ahead due to financial pressures and starts slipping down.”
How will this deal benefit Airtel?
If this deal is successful, it will be a major help to Airtel as it is currently facing many problem because of its competitors like Reliance Jio that are providing data at cheaper prices. Jio was the reason behind disrupting the successful financial model of the industry. Other Telecom companies like Vodafone and Idea Cellular were forced to merge because of the stiff competition from Jio.
Google’s investment and data monetization methods have the possibilities to help Airtel to become successful, earn more money and work on its profitability. Airtel is also raising more funds so it can increase the capacity of its 4G networks around India. This investment by Google can also help the telecom company to set a lot of things in order, pay off the debts to the government and also invest in 4G and 5G networks.
In July 2020, Google announced that it had set aside $10 billion funds to invest in the startups of India over the course of five to seven years. The investment was said to be in the form of investments, seed investments, partnerships among other arrangements. This was planned in order to accelerate digitization in India and reduce the gap in the Indian tech investments ecosystem.
This fund was said to be invested in the sectors of consumer tech, education, health, agriculture, technology, AR &VR, and helping SMEs. This fund initiative was called the Google for India Digitization Fund as it aimed in helping Indian companies to grow in their Google portfolio.
This morning, had an extremely fruitful interaction with @sundarpichai. We spoke on a wide range of subjects, particularly leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India’s farmers, youngsters and entrepreneurs. pic.twitter.com/IS9W24zZxs
Google has made numerous investments in Indian startups and ventures over the few years. In 2013, Google has invested Rs 3.13 crore in Sana Ventures as a part of a seed round funding and the same year it also invested Rs 3 crore in Agastya International Foundation. After that in 2017, it went on to invest Rs 3 crore in CueMath which is a well-known online Edtech company. In 2020, Google also invested over $27,500,000 in the series E funding of Aye Finance which is a Gurugram based Fintech Company.
It also invested over $12 million in Dunzo an Indian delivery company in 2021. In 2020, Google invested $100 million for DailyHunt and an undisclosed amount in Glance which is both news platforms. The same year’s Google invested over Rs 33,737 crore in Jio Platform which is the digital subsidiary of the conglomerate Reliance Industries. This investment led to Google claiming a 7.73 % stake in Jio Platform and helped Jio clearing its debt ahead of its March 2021 target.
The success of a company is just the tip of the iceberg below which lies the business model of the company.
Hard work and dedication to the services, funds from other companies, and robust marketing strategies are some prominent factors that drive a company towards success, but the business model can be deemed as the base of the company, on which the business is built. The business model is nothing but a company’s plan to make a profit which is why it plays a major role in new and well-established companies as well.
With the world today that is encouraging more and more businesses to grow, only some manage to evolve to their full potential. One of such businesses that have stood up with their robust business model and have become a key player in the telecommunication industry is Airtel. Here, we will walk through their business model and how it helped the company carve a niche for itself.
Bharti Airtel, also known as Airtel, is one of the leading multinational telecommunication service providers of India based out of New Delhi, India. It boasts of over 457 million subscribers, holds second place in India’s mobile networks and third place in the world’s mobile networks. Millward Brown and WPP plc have named Airtel as India’s second most valuable brand in their Brandz ranking. In addition to these, Airtel is the first-ever multinational telecommunication service to launch 4G in India.
Areas of Operation
Initially starting from India, Airtel has witnessed significant growth and is now successfully operating in around 18 countries, which includes South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands.
Key Products and Services
Over time Airtel has expanded as a company and has begun to offer a wide range of services that include 2G, 4G, 4G+ networks, fixed-line broadband, and voice services.
Here’s a quick rundown along with the main service belts that Airtel offers:
Telemedia – Under the Telemedia segment Airtel offers broadband internet via DSL, leased internet lines, MPLS solutions, IPTV, and fixed-line telephone services. Their control over the Telemedia segment allows them to offer differentiated and converged solutions to customers.
Television – Airtel is also associated with the provision of the direct television network or DTH (Direct-to-home) TV services across the nation with their Airtel digital TV.
Mobile data – Airtel also provides BlackBerry services that work on push-on technology, USB modems, Airtel data cards, easy mail, and its own mobile application that helps its customers monitor all their services and packages bundled in on the app.
Airtel business – Airtel Business comprises of six main products, which are, Cloud and managed services, digital signage, NLD/ILD connectivity, dongles for Wi-Fi, voice solutions, and conferencing solutions that serve a range of industry verticals including BFSI, IT/ITeS, manufacturing, hospitality, and government.
Android Tablets – With a view to capitalize on the growing demands for cost-effective, portable devices, Airtel has launched its first 7-inch tablet running on the Android operating system in 2011 via Beetel Teletech Ltd.
Mobile wallet service – Airtel offers the mobile wallet service which allows Airtel users to make payments for utility bills, goods, and services in addition to money transfers across networks. It is done using the airtel money app that runs on Android, iOS, and windows.
Target Audiences of Airtel
Being a telecommunication service provider the target audience of Airtel is really wide and is not influenced by age, gender, place of residence, income, social distinction, and any such factors. Airtel has an array of different services that attract both individuals and companies across varied industries.
Airtel showcases an exemplary business model for others to follow irrespective of the industry that each belongs to. Airtel focuses mainly on two things: customer acquisition and servicing (retention) and business development or expansion. Their vision and mission clearly state that their ultimate goal is to be a globally admired telecom service and to mainly focus on customer satisfaction and provide them innovative services that tend to be cost-efficient products.
The other functions that include hardware, network management, backend applications (billing, etc.), and other services are outsourced. This business model has been pioneered by Airtel and inspires many newcomers in the game.
What is unique in the business model of Airtel?
As we have already mentioned, Airtel believes in outsourcing everything else apart from their marketing, sales, and finance operations and the ‘minutes factory’ model of low cost and high volumes.
Airtel is widely recognized as the pioneer of such a strategy, inspiring tens of thousands of other brands and entrepreneurs. The equipment of Airtel is also provided and maintained by other companies namely Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Networks; and US-based Amdocs provides Airtel with the IT support that the brand requires.
In its business model, Airtel has underlined some key points that they term as strategic business pillars for their businesses. These are:
Focus on Quality customers – Airtel aims to provide value for their customers along with the differentiated services that they provide.
Opening doors for new revenues – The brand is now helping its non-mobile wings like Airtel Business, Digital TV, and Broadband services to grow along with an eye to bring in new verticals.
Providing Top-of-the-line services – Airtel aims to bring in the best possible network quality to their customers with the help of cutting-edge infrastructure and advanced automation tools and technology.
Employee-centric culture – Along with investing huge on the digital talent, Airtel makes sure that it hands over significant roles to each of its employees and ensures they grow along with the firm.
Eco-friendly approach – Airtel advocates the reduction of overuse of resources and cutting down its operational expenses to the minimum with an eye on the environment.
Along with its basic strategies as Airtel business plan, it is working on future strategies, to retain its top position, such as bringing more innovation in its services, exploring new plans and products, providing valuable and quality services to its customers.
How does Airtel make money through its business model?
Airtel makes money through all the products and services mentioned above. It uses a B2C model to derive income from its customers and a B2B model, registered under Airtel Business that helps startups and SMEs. Airtel stands out with its unique business model that aims to provide the customers with the best services at competitive prices.
It is to be remembered that Airtel is not one of the companies that have achieved fast growth but one that stands as a market leader purely because it has innovated things and earned its place. Furthermore, it is also one of the few telecommunications services providers that have realized the importance of value-added services (VAS) right away in the start, which further eased its way.
Airtel’s competition with other companies
Airtel snatched the market from Essar by providing services before them and holding the position until them with the help of high usage premium clients.
Telecommunication services mainly have two important characteristics which are quality and price of the service, with that said, Airtel makes sure that they establish service by giving high importance to the characteristics and being a high-quality service provider with a premium image.
Conclusion
Airtel has witnessed gradual growth and has emerged as a promising brand in the telecommunications sector with the help of a foolproof business model, a meticulous understanding of its key concepts, years of hard work, tireless efforts, and absolute dedication. Airtel success story surely is a huge inspiration to legions of other businesses across different domains.
FAQs
What is the revenue of Airtel?
The revenue of Airtel was ₹89,473 crore (US$13 billion) in 2020.
Who is the CEO of Airtel?
Gopal Vittal is the current CEO of Airtel.
What is the debt of Airtel?
In the financial year 2020, Bharti Airtel Limited reported a net debt of about 1188 billion Indian rupees.
Countries all across the world are racing to deploy 5G. 5G networks, once placed perfectly, will impact everybody and everything. It will change the face of remote industries, smart cities, and digital transmissions.
Every country understands the power of connectivity and is keen to commercialize 5G. It is meant to connect new industries through its high multi-Gbps data speed. It will provide increased reliability, immense network capacity, and a more uniform user experience.
Below is the list of top countries that already have 5G
Germany
Average 5G’s speed: 102.0 Mbps
Service Providers: Vodafone, Telefonica Deutschland
Germany is one of the leading users of the 5G network. 5G services are available in around 1000 towns across the country. Telefonica Deutschland has already reached 16 million people. The Vodafone CEO said, “We aim to reach 30M people by the end of 2021.”
UK
Average 5G’s Speed: 133.5 Mbps
Service Providers: EE, Vodafone, Three UK, O2
United Kingdoms is one of the earliest countries to commercialize 5G. Here, the service providers began 5G in May 2019. It has expanded to 125 towns now. Vodafone’s 5G was made available to Coventry University to train student nurses and healthcare workers through virtual reality. Meanwhile, another service provider, Three UK is focusing more on providing 5G for homes and 1.6 million households are now covered.
Hong Kong
Average 5G’s Speed: 142. 8 Mbps
Service Providers: China Mobile Hong Kong, 3 Hong Kong, HKT, SmarTone
Hong Kong is comparatively new to the race of 5G. 5G in Hong Kong became active in 2020 only. China Mobile, SmarTone, and other operators have acquired 200 MHz of the whole 3.5 GHz spectrum for HKD 1 billion i.e., $129 million. 5G is available in both indoor and outdoor locations. China Mobile claims that it is going to cover 90% of all Hong Kong City.
Switzerland
Average 5G’s Speed: 150.7 Mbps
Service Providers: Salt, Sunrise, Swisscom
5G has also begun in Switzerland and it’s already have secured second place in top countries to serve 5G. Swisscom and Ericsson covered over 54 cities. They aim to provide 5G to everybody in the country whether they’re living in the countryside, city or mountains. However, the government of Switzerland is also concerned about the adverse effects of the radiation coming from the 5G towers. They’re actively working to control it.
Kuwait
Average 5G’s Speed: 150.7 Mbps
Service Providers: Zain Kuwait, STC, Ooredoo
Kuwait is one of the earliest 5G consuming countries. It started serving 5G in mid-2019. Kuwait has the largest mobile penetration in the world. The introduction of 5G will take internet usage to the next level. The 5G network will help users to engage with advanced models of technology that can increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve health.
Service Providers: Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility, Videotron
5G network has been launched in Canada along with mobiles to connect to 5G. It is available through subscription and pre-paid is not yet available. Other smaller network operators will also launch 5G by 2021-22. Also, it’s important to know that old 4G phones cannot be upgraded to 5G so people have to buy a brand new 5G phone to enjoy the high-speed network.
Country with the most cities with 5G availability
Taiwan
Average 5G’s speed: 210.2 Mbps
Service Providers: FarEasTone, Chunghwa, Taiwan Mobile, Tatar
Taiwan launched 5G in July 2020 and reached 1 million subscribers in no time. Chunghwa Telecom claims to have reached 3 million subscribers later that year and 5 million by the end of that year. 5G is growing at a tremendous rate in Taiwan. Taiwan Mobile expects to cover 15 to 20% of all subscribers in the country.
Australia
Average 5G’s Speed: 215.7 Mbps
Service Providers: Telstra, Optus, TPG Telecom
Australian telecom service providers have managed to provide 5G services to a large percent of the total population. Telstra alone has covered 50% of the population including 46 towns and cities. Meanwhile, Optus covers over 4 lakh households. Together, they’ve covered 85% of the total population.
In South Korea, 5G was initially launched for B2B customers as they had businesses as their main focus. As far as customer focus is concerned, 15% of the total population is using 5G as of September 2020. The government is also supporting 5G service providers with taxes as they plan to expand their network across the country. This opens many gates for a hefty expansion of 5G in South Korea.
Saudi Arabia
Average 5G’s speed: 404.2 Mbps
Service Providers: STC, Mobily, Zain
Saudi Arabia has a total of 51 cities under 5G coverage. Saudi Arabia is ambitious with its 5G project as they plan to achieve one goal- “Thriving Society, Thriving Economy, Ambitious Nation”. They plan to expand their network to 71 cities by the end of the year. They will be targeting three major sectors through top-class connectivity- oil & gas, public sector, and manufacture.
China
Average 5G’s speed: 301.60 Mbps
Service Providers: China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile
China has the world’s largest number of 5G subscribers. At the end of February 2021, it was reported to have 260 million 5G subscribers. In the Mobile World Congress 2021, the Chinese government officials claimed that they’ve invested more than $40.2 billion to build the world’s largest 5G network.
It must be noted that China lacks transparency in its claims so they are not trusted by many officials across the world. But still, China has more 5G subscribers than many countries combined.
USA
Average 5G’s speed: 70 Mbps
Service Providers: T Mobile, Verizon, AT&T
In the USA, T Mobile is winning the race as it has successfully provided 5G to over 279 cities with over 200 million Americans. Verizon is also working its best to deliver the network speed in 60 major cities. Meanwhile, AT&T serves some parts of many states. The number of cities with 5G connectivity increases each year in the USA.
FAQ
Why is 5G such a big deal?
The new 5G standard is faster and more responsive, which will leverage machine learning, artificial intelligence and to automate network management and security.
Where is the most 5G in the world?
The top three countries that have the most cities with 5G are China, the United States, and South Korea.
When 5G will launch in India?
Jio one of the leading network providers in India has announced that they will be ready to deploy 5G technology in the second half of 2021.
Conclusion
5G will soon take over 4G, 3G, and LTE networks. These were the leading countries that have their citizens already equipped with 5G. It’s safe to say that this new super fast network is going to change the way we perceive data transfer. However, we must not forget to keep an eye on the side effects and dangers that these changes pose. But all in all, we should brace ourselves for this new generation of connectivity and speedy downloads.
