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In this article, we will be taking a look at the 15 biggest cell phone companies in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 biggest cell phone companies in the world.
To say that the cellphone and telecommunications industry has evolved significantly over the last few decades, and particularly the last decade, would be a massive understatement. While definitely not the first smartphone, when the iPhone first launched in 2007, smartphones were considered to be the exception rather than the norm. 15 years later, smartphones have taken over the world, with estimates suggesting that more than 6 billion people own a smartphone, a number which no one would've predicted back in 2007.
With the rise of smartphones and global connectivity, the telecom industry has grown as well. While GPRS was the only form of internet available in the early days of cellphones, where you would be lucky to open Google after several minutes of trying. Now, 5G is taking over the world and the telecom sector has been focusing on additional wireless and fiber deployment to meet the ever-increasing demand from customers. There has also been an increased focus on multi-access edge computing not to mention private cellular networks as the market continues to gain momentum. Even though this market is still relatively new, competition is increasing even as the market continues to expand.
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Another factor that the telecommunications sector has to consider is the ever-increasing risk of cyber security, which is leaving customers vulnerable. This is especially true for 5G, which while continuing to expand, brings with it a new host of issues and concerns regarding vulnerability to hackers. That's one of the reasons why investors are flocking into cybersecurity stocks. Meanwhile, cellphone producers have also now started to produce cellphones which are compatible with 5G, though generally this is true for only flagship series of most cellphone models.
According to Grand View Research, the global telecom industry was worth approximately $1.7 trillion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2021 to 2028. The number of mobile subscribers is soaring and ever since the pandemic, this number has skyrocketed. With the pandemic restricting most people to their own homes and the acceptance of work from home increasing to an unprecedented level, communication primarily took place through internet connections and mobile phones as opposed to face-to-face meetings, which has resulted in an additional boon for the biggest cellphone companies in the world (see 10 best telecom dividend stocks to buy).
To determine the biggest cellphone companies in the world, we decided to consider the biggest names in the industry, based on their Fortune Global 500 rankings. We have then considered the total revenue, total profit, total assets and the number of employees for each company. We have then assigned 40% weightage to revenue and profit, while assigning 20% weightage to total assets and the number of employees. Based on the aforementioned criteria, we have then created composite rankings for the biggest cellphone companies in the world. We used multiple criteria rather than a single one, to come up with more accurate possible rankings. So, let's take a look at the companies which have dominated the industry, starting with number 15:
15. Orange S.A. (NYSE:ORAN)
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 50,275
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 276
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 122,877
Total number of employees: 139,698
Orange S.A. (NYSE:ORAN) is a French multinational telecommunications company. Among the services provided by Orange S.A. (NYSE:ORAN) are landline, internet, IPTV services and of course, mobile. While initially known as France Télécom, Orange S.A. (NYSE:ORAN) rebranded to its current name in 2013.
14. KDDI
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 48,486
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 5,986
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 91,297
Total number of employees: 48,829
One of three Japanese companies in our list of biggest cellphone companies in the world, one of KDDI's major achievements is working with five other companies to building a 60Tbits/s undersea data transmission cable which linked Japan to the United States. The cable started operations in 2016.
13. China United Network Communications
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 50,828
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 978
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 93,400
Total number of employees: 242,661
One of three Chinese companies in the list, China United Network Communications is a state-owned telecom operator in China, and provides various services including Internet services, local calling, data communication, long-distance and mobile networks.
12. Telefónica
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 46,439
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 9,621
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 124,175
Total number of employees: 104,150
One of the biggest cellphone companies in Europe, Telefónica is a Spanish company which boasts multiple major brands such as O2, Vivo and Movistar.
11. América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:AMX)
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 49,702
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 9,490
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 82,588
Total number of employees: 181,205
América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:AMX) may be listed in the United States, but it is incorporated in Mexico. With more than 277.4 million wireless subscribers globally, América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:AMX) is easily among the biggest cellphone companies in the world.
10. Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR)
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 51,682
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 4,654
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 142,491
Total number of employees: 93,700
Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) is an American telecom company. Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) is also considered to be the second biggest cable provider in the United States while Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR) has over 26 million customers in 41 states,
9. SoftBank Group
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 55,384
Total profits (in millions of dollars): -15,205
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 391,604
Total number of employees: 59,721
While SoftBank isn't purely a cellphone company, telecommunications do make up a major part of the group's operations. The third largest wireless carrier in Japan, SoftBank Group boasts more than 45 million subscribers. The company also runs the biggest technology-focused venture capital fund in the world, which has over $100 billion in capital while investors include sovereign wealth funds from rich countries in the Middle East.
8. Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:VOD)
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 52,932
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 2,425
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 170,479
Total number of employees: 96,941
Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:VOD) is a British telecommunications company and has operations and networks in at least 22 countries while also operating partner networks in 48 additional countries. In addition, Vodafone Group Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:VOD) also provides telecommunications and IT services to corporate clients in close to 150 countries. While its revenue declined in 2021 as compared to the previous year, the company did see an increase in net income.
7. China Telecomunications
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 83,596
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 1,935
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 155,818
Total number of employees: 394,600
The second biggest cellphone company in China, China Telecommunications is a state-owned telecommunications company which has three listed companies: China Communications Services Corporation Limited, China Telecom Corporation Limited and Besttone Holding Co. Limited. It was sanctioned by the United States as per an executive order by President Donald Trump which resulted in the company being delisted in 2021. In October 2021, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission revoked the company's operating license and in 2022, designated its U.S. subsidiary to be a national security threat.
6. Deutsche Telekom
Total revenue (in millions of dollars): 128,631
Total profits (in millions of dollars): 4,937
Total assets (in millions of dollars): 320,210
Total number of employees: 216,528
Deutsche Telekom is the largest cellphone and telecommunications company in Europe. It is a German company, and operates multiple subsidiaries across the globe, and is the owner of one of the biggest mobile communications brands in the world in T-Mobile. The total stakes held by the German government, either directly or indirectly, were 31.9% in April 2020.
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Disclosure: None. 15 biggest cell phone companies in the world is originally published at Insider Monkey.
