Nearly all Americans (approximately 98%) own a cell phone, and about 91% own a smartphone, according to Pew Research. Additionally, World Bank data indicates that 86% of the world population owns a mobile phone.
To operate their phones, people need mobile airtime to access mobile network services.
Mobile airtime is basically a type of currency that a mobile phone user can use to pay for and access voice calls, text, and mobile data on their phone.
Beyond the surface definition, mobile airtime is more than just a tool for accessing call, text, and data, it is an instrument for global connectivity and financial inclusion.
As you’d imagine, anything 86% of the global population is using must have a huge market. This is true for the global mobile airtime market. However, recent years have recorded some unprecedented growth in the market, mostly due to widespread growth in mobile usage and increasing reliance on prepaid models in many markets.
Let’s analyze the drivers behind current growth.
Market Overview
The global mobile airtime market is often categorized under the broader telecom services, mobile money, remittances, or mobile value-added services market.
Even within these broader categories, mobile airtime services still manage to hold significant sway.
With remittances, for instance, estimates suggest that between 2012 and 2019, mobile airtime cross-border transfers jumped from $700 million to $25 billion, at which point the global mobile airtime market had an estimated value of $260 billion.
As of 2024, the broader mobile market contributed $6.5 trillion to the global GDP, according to GSMA.
In mature markets like the U.S., mobile airtime services are largely driven by the prepaid and postpaid subscription model, with the average American spending about $61 per month on mobile phone plans.
Generally, users in mature airtime markets are more likely to use services like BOSS Revolution for international top-up to help loved ones abroad stay connected or as a means of providing them with sufficient airtime that they can resell for cash instantly.
In emerging markets like Africa, prepaid airtimes dominate the market. However, prepaid mobile phone bundles (including voice, text, and data) are yet to be commonplace.
Airtime money transfers, in the form of remittances, are also becoming a major influence in emerging markets, helping both senders and receivers navigate high international money transfer fees while equally enjoying instant delivery.
In both markets, airtime segments remain pretty much the same. Wherever you are, you can get mobile airtime for voice and SMS, data bundles, or Mixed/bundled offers comprising voice, SMS, and data bundles.
So what are the key drivers behind these markets?
Key Growth Drivers
We can point to a lot of things to explain the explosive growth of mobile airtime services across the globe, some of which include:
Smartphone Penetration & Affordable Devices
The GSMA Mobile Economy 2025 report indicates that there are currently 5.8 billion unique mobile phone subscribers in the world, indicating about 1.1 billion more unique users since 2015 (4.7 billion unique users). Interestingly, the number of unique users is expected to reach 6.5 billion by 2030.
Just as the number of mobile phone users has been increasing, the smartphone market has also been recording substantial growth, with about 70% of the global population connecting to the internet via their smartphone, according to the Global Financial Index.
For both mobile phone and smartphone users worldwide, airtime largely remains an avenue for accessing mobile network services.
Expansion of Mobile Data Usage
Compared to the days of dial-up and 2G internet, it is clear that we have more extensive use of the internet today, including for streaming, social media, video content, and gaming.
Another thing that is also clear is that today’s applications are more data-intensive.
For instance, most video games in the early 2000s were easily under 1GB in size, with N64 games being as low as 32MB. In comparison, modern video games easily exceed 20GB.
The rise of these data-heavy applications pushes people to spend more on airtime/data bundles, creating new opportunities in the global airtime market.
With widespread 5G deployment expected to enable more data-heavy applications like cloud gaming and HD video streaming, demand for mobile data is expected to soar.
Prepaid and Flexible Pricing Models
The flexibility of prepaid plans, bundled offers, rollovers, social media bundles, and micro-bundles has made mobile airtime/data all the more affordable and appealing.
The level of flexibility offered by these mobile recharge solutions, which are intended to drive digital inclusion, has also been instrumental in driving growth in the airtime market.
Regulation and Policy Enablers
Sometimes governments take the extra steps to propel digital inclusion in their constituencies by establishing business-friendly policies, developing infrastructure, or regulating the mobile network operators market to encourage healthier market competition.
Sometimes these efforts manifest as spectrum allocation for 4G/5G, lower import duties for mobile devices, removal of airtime excise duty, subsidies, or universal service obligations.
The government of Hong Kong, for instance, recently launched a subsidy scheme to extend 5G coverage in about 70 villages.
Digital Payments & Distribution Ecosystems
Digital payment services such as mobile money, digital wallets, and fintechs now make it easier to purchase airtime in a snap.
24/7 access means that people can get any amount of airtime whenever they want, for as many times as possible.
Even in places where these digital payment services are limited, informal retail channels sell airtime vouchers for various carriers, which users can purchase and redeem on their mobile phones.
Technological Innovation
As the mobile airtime market is growing in response to user demands, we are also seeing varying degrees of innovation aimed at improving overall user experience.
eSIMs, for instance, are becoming more popular as a cheaper and more flexible alternative to roaming.
Real-time charging, dynamic pricing, and personalized offerings are also making a gradual entry into the market, all thanks to AI.
5G is also on track to become the most dominant type of network connection by 2030, estimated to account for 57% of all internet connections by 2030. When that happens, it is expected that people will also spend more on airtime to meet their high consumption needs.
Consumer Trends & Behavior Changes
At the center of the global mobile airtime market growth is the consumer. The market is continually adjusting to meet evolving consumer needs for mobile.
In recent times, these needs have revolved heavily around increasing digital content consumption, shift to remote/hybrid work, rapid adoption of distance learning, and shift toward mobile-first behavior among younger demographics, all of which result in increasing reliance on mobile connectivity.
Conclusion
The global mobile airtime market has been on a steady climb in the past two decades, and it’s not looking to decline any time soon.
In fact, with GSMA 2030 projections that mobile internet subscribers will reach 5.5 billion and the mobile economy will make up 8.4% of global GDP, it seems like some of the market’s biggest leaps will be happening in the next five years.
Interestingly, the growth drivers will remain the same but be adapted to modern demands, including greater smartphone penetration, 5G expansion, more flexible offerings, advanced tech innovations, and changing consumer behavior in response to the trends.
Now and in the future, the global mobile airtime market remains unshaken.
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