New Delhi, March 2 The global telecom industry body, GSMA, has conferred a rare Lifetime Achievement Award on Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, for his contribution in reshaping the global telecommunications landscape and expanding connectivity across operators, governments, businesses, and billions of consumers worldwide, Bharti Airtel said on Monday.
The award has been bestowed on only a handful of industry leaders in GSMA's history, and Mittal is the first Indian to receive it.
"The GSMA has conferred a rare Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, recognizing his role in reshaping the global telecommunications landscape and expanding connectivity across operators, governments, businesses, and billions of consumers worldwide," the statement said.
The award was presented at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the presence of King of Spain Felipe VI, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the President of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, and industry leaders.
"I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition and sincerely thank the GSMA for this award. I accept it not only as a personal milestone, but as a tribute to India's telecom journey, the collective spirit of Bharti, and the rise of Indian telecom companies on the global stage," Mittal said.
Prior to Mittal, the award was presented to Martin Cooper in 2023, who is widely known as the "father of the cell phone."
He received the inaugural Global Mobile (GLOMO) Lifetime Achievement Award for inventing the handheld portable cell phone in 1973.
Mittal is a first-generation entrepreneur who founded Bharti Airtel in India, which now has operations in 14 African countries as well.
He served as Chairman of the GSMA from 2017 to 2018, where he pushed for policies that encouraged investment and innovation while strengthening the industry's commitment to connecting the unconnected and advancing digital inclusion.
He was previously honoured with the GSMA Chairman's Award in 2008 and again in 2016 for his contribution to the growth and development of the global mobile industry.
Mittal was felicitated at Mobile World Congress in February 2019 in recognition of his chairmanship, according to the statement.