A mobile network operator, also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a provider of wireless communication services.
The main mobile network operators in Europe are listed below.
Albania as per has 3.66 million subscribers, of whom 2.49 million are active users (101% penetration rate) (Q1 2021).
Active users are considered those who have communicated in the last three months.
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Albania is the AKEP.
In 2022 4iG group, owning ONE Telecommunications, acquired a majority stake of ALBtelecom Mobile, 80.27%, to a network merger in 2023.
Andorra has 88,109 mobile subscribers or about 113.63% mobile penetration.
Armenia has 3.5 million subscribers in total, and a 120% penetration rate.
Austria has 13.0 million assigned numbers (i.e. 2.0 2G, 10.8 3G and 0.1 4G SIM cards), or a 151.0% penetration rate (Q4 2014).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Austria is the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR).
In December 2005, Azerbaijan had 2 million subscribers in total, a 25% penetration rate. In 2014, Azerbaijan had over 10 million subscribers in total, or a 130% penetration rate.
Belarus has 12.0 million subscribers in total, or a 126% penetration rate in Q4 of 2020.
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Belarus is the Ministry of Communications and Informatization.
Belgium has 13.89 million subscribers in total, or a 124% penetration rate (Q4 2014).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Belgium is the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT).
In December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 3.811 million subscribers in total, or a penetration rate.
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Communications Regulatory Agency (Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije, RAK).
Bulgaria has 7 978 611 subscribers in total, or a 123.9% penetration rate according to the CRC annual report for 2024.
The regulatory authority for Telecommunication in Bulgaria is the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC).
Croatia has 4,404,652 subscribers in total, or a 102.8% penetration rate. (Q4 2019)
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Croatia is the Hrvatska agencija za poà ¡tu i elektronicke komunikacije (website available in Croatian and English language).
Cyprus has 1,392,480 subscribers in total, or a 151.7% penetration rate (excludes Northern Cyprus) (Q4 2022).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus) is OCECPR (Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation).
The Czech Republic has 16.121 million subscribers in total, or a 151% penetration rate (December 2019).
Denmark has 8.208 million subscribers in total, or a 146% penetration rate (Q1 2014)
In 2011, Denmark liquidated IT- og Telestyrelsen, it's telecommunications regulator.
Former regulator's tasks are divided among four institutions:
Estonia has 2.524 million subscribers in total, or a 188% penetration rate (December 2008).
The Faroe Islands have 61,388 subscribers, or a 126% penetration rate (population 48,652) (2020).
Finland has 7.700 million subscribers in total, or a 144.59% penetration rate (December 2009).
France has 75.5 million subscribers in total, or a 115.2% penetration rate (September 2015).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in France is ARCEP.
As of November 2024, Georgia has 5,623,128 subscribers in total.
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Georgia is the Georgian National Communications Commission.
Germany has 114.1 million subscribers in total, or a 140% penetration rate (December 2011).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Germany is the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA).
Gibraltar, the British overseas territory, has 0.028 million subscribers in total, or a 92.12% penetration rate (December 2009).
In 2022, Greece had 11.326 million subscribers in total, or a 109% penetration rate. The regulatory authority for telecommunications in Greece is the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT).
The British Crown dependency Guernsey has 0.055 million subscribers in total, or a 95% penetration rate (December 2005).
Hungary has 11.8 million subscribers in total (December 2017).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Hungary is NMHH â Nemzeti Média-, és HÃÂrközlési Hatóság.
Iceland has 0.470 million subscribers in total, or a 129.19% penetration rate (July 2019).
As the end of March 2022 Ireland had 8.117 million mobile subscribers in total, representing a 158.4% penetration rate.
If mobile broadband and M2M subscriptions are excluded, the total number of mobile subscribers was 5.414 million, representing a 105.6% penetration rate.
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Ireland is the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).
The British Crown dependency Isle of Man has an unknown number of subscribers in total and an unknown percentage penetration rate.
As of September 2025, Italy has 110.5 million active mobile SIMs in total (79.3 million human SIMs and 31.3 million M2M SIMs). The country's telecom regulator is AGCOM.
In 2016 3 Italy and Wind agreed to complete a merger that was approved by European and national authorities, and since March 2020 all consumer and business offers are sold under the new brand Wind Tre.
A new operator, Iliad entered the Italian market in May 2018 as a consequence of this merger.
In 2024 Swisscom acquired Vodafone Italy from Vodafone Group with the aim of merging it with its subsidiary Fastweb.
<small>The subscriber figures below refer to human SIMs (excluding M2M) and are approximate, derived from AGCOM's human-SIM totals and market shares.</small>
The British Crown dependency Jersey.
Latvia has 2.243 million subscribers in total, or a 99.72% penetration rate (December 2009).
Liechtenstein has 0.039 million subscribers in total, or a 105% penetration rate (April 2015).
The Liechtenstein mobile phone system is attached to Switzerland, and customers of these three providers can roam on Swiss networks without additional fees.
Lithuania has 4.49 million subscribers in total, or a 161% penetration rate (Q4 2023).
Each of the three largest network operators have flanker brands â Pildyk (Tele2), Eà ¾ys (Telia) and Labas (Bite).
The regulator is Ryà ¡ià ³ Reguliavimo Tarnyba (RRT).
Luxembourg has 719,000 subscribers in total, or a 148% penetration rate (December 2009).
Malta has 0.702 million subscribers in total, or a 130.19% penetration rate (June 2023).
Moldova has 4.263 million subscribers in total, or a 120% penetration rate (2012).
The country's telecommunications regulator is ANRCETI.
Monaco has 0.023 million subscribers on the Monaco Telecom network, or a 70.1% penetration rate (December 2009).
Montenegro has 1,097,574 subscribers in total, or a 177.02% penetration rate (October 2013).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Montenegro is (Agencija za elektronske komunikacije i poà ¡tansku djelatnost).
The Netherlands has 22.12 million subscribers in total, or a 125.7% penetration rate (Q1 2023).
The regulatory authorities for telecommunication in the Netherlands are the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM: Autoriteit Consument & Markt) and the Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure (RDI: Rijksdienst Digitale Infrastructuur).
North Macedonia has 2.299ÃÂ million subscribers in total, or a 105% penetration rate (Q3 2012).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in North Macedonia is AEC.
Norway has 5.730 million subscribers in total, or a 108.97% penetration rate (December 2016).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Norway is the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority.
Poland has 58.6 million subscribers in total (Q4 2020).
The country's telecom regulator is UKE (UrzÃÂ d Komunikacji Elektronicznej).
Portugal has 17.6 million subscribers in total, or a 170.5% penetration rate (13.1 million active subscribers or 127.4% penetration rate) (Q3 2017).
The country's telecom regulator is ANACOM. Following the commercial launch of DIGI in late 2024, the market has seen a significant shift in subscriber distribution.
Romania has 22.8 million active subscribers in total, or a 104% penetration rate (2024). The country's telecom regulator is ANCOM. Following the acquisition of Telekom Romania Mobile by Vodafone and Digi in October 2025, the market has consolidated into three main players.
The country's telecom regulator is Roskomnadzor (RKN).
San Marino has 0.037 million subscribers in total, or a 116.95% penetration rate (December 2013).
Serbia has 9.1987 million subscribers based on the three-month customer activity, or a 128.09% penetration rate (December 2013).
In accordance with the 2013 Brussels Agreement, telecommunications in the province are handled by licensed operators under the local regulatory framework (ARKEP), while Telekom Srbija operates through its subsidiary mts d.o.o. Severna Mitrovica.
Slovakia has 7.68 million subscribers in total, or a 132.79% penetration rate. All facts are based on the three-month customer activity base (October 2019).
The regulatory authority for electronic communications "telecommunication" in Slovakia is ÃÂrad pre reguláciu elektronických komunikáciàa poà ¡tových sluà ¾ieb (RÃÂ).
Slovenia has 2,808,361 subscribers in total, or a 132% penetration rate (Q3 2025).
Spain has 63.009 million subscribers in total, or a 128.40% penetration rate (Dic 2025).
The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Spain is CNMC (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia).
Note: The number of subscribers of each operator includes the subscribers of the main brand and the rest of its brands and subsidiaries.
Sweden has 14.3 million subscribers in total, approximately 140% penetration rate (2020). The country's telcom regulator is Swedish Post and Telecom Authority.
There are four main network operators, and they share various 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G network infrastructure through co-ownership in separate network companies. Tele2 and Telenor share network infrastructure through their company Net4Mobility. Telia and Tele2 share network infrastructure through UMTS Nät AB. Tre and Telenor share network infrastructure through 3GIS.
Sweden also has a number of flanker brands and virtual operators, most notable are Halebop, Comviq, Fello, Hallon, Vimla, Mybeat, Tellusmobil and Chilimobil.
Some of world's largest producers of mobile network equipment have strong ties to Sweden. Ericsson is based in Sweden while Nokia, Siemens, Huawei and ZTE have major research centers in the country, often clustered around Kista and Lund.
Switzerland has 11.365 million mobile subscribers and a 138% penetration rate (December 2014).
The country's telecom regulator is BAKOM.
Turkey has 94.5 million subscribers in total, or a 110.7% penetration rate (Q1 2025).
The telecom regulator in Turkey is Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK : Bilgi Teknolojileri ve ðletià Âim Kurumu).
The country's telecom regulator is NKRZI (National commission for the state regulation of: electronic communications; RF spectrum; the provision of postal services, ).
Due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, roaming on other operator's networks is free and includes voice calls, SMS and mobile 2G / 3G Internet at speeds up to 512 kbit/s.
The United Kingdom has over 95 million mobile connections in total (2026).
The country's telecom regulator is Ofcom. Following the merger of Vodafone UK and Three UK in May 2025, the market is led by the joint venture VodafoneThree.