Afghan Wireless AWCC

Afghan Wireless Communication Company, also known as Afghan Wireless and AWCC, is the first wireless communications company in Afghanistan. It was founded in 1998 by Afghan-American telecommunications entrepreneur Ehsan Bayat. The company is a joint venture of Telephone Systems International and the Afghan Ministry of Communications, with the latter owning a 20% stake. Afghan Wireless is headquartered in Kabul and provides 4G LTE and other services, such as internet and mobile payments to subscribers across Afghanistan's 34 provinces. In 1998, Bayat secured an exclusive license from the Taliban government to establish a joint venture with the country's Ministry of Communications. The company was established as a subsidiary of Telephone Systems International, with financial backing from British entrepreneurs Stuart Bentham and Lord Michael Cecil. Despite the tumultuous political climate, Afghan Wireless was the first company licensed to provide GSM wireless service in Afghanistan, bringing in technology from American vendors. The company's network went public in 2002, with phone booths set up for those unable to afford cellphones. By 2009, the company had around 5 million users.