Editing Afghan Wireless

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Afghan Wireless
| logo = Afghan Wireless logo Oct 2017.png
| industry = [[Telecommunication]]s
| founded = {{Start date and age|1998}}<ref name=rose/>
| founders = [[Ehsan Bayat]]<br />Stuart Bentham<br />Lord Michael Cecil
| hq_location_city = [[Kabul]]
| hq_location_country = [[Afghanistan]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=7818551 |title=Company Overview of Afghan Wireless Communication Company |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |website=Bloomberg.com |publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]] |access-date=October 6, 2017}}</ref>
| key_people = Ehsan Bayat (chairman)
| num_employees = 8,000 (2017)<ref name="SpectrumLee"/>
| parent = [[Telephone Systems International]] (TSI)
| website = {{url|afghan-wireless.com}}
}}

'''Afghan Wireless Communication Company''', also known as '''Afghan Wireless''' and '''AWCC''', is [[Afghanistan]]'s first [[wireless]] communications company. Founded in 1998, it is based in Kabul, Afghanistan with various regional offices.<ref name="PCWorldGrows"/> Headquartered in [[Kabul]], Afghan Wireless provides [[4G LTE]] and other services, such as internet and mobile payments to about five million subscribers across Afghanistan's 34 provinces.<ref name="AWCC Press Release Tuition">[https://afghan-wireless.com/afghan-wireless-announces-increased-tuition-assistance-for-employees-awcc-employees-enrolled-in-bachelors-and-masters-degree-programs-to-receive-significantly-higher-tuition-rebates-and-discounts/ "Tuition" AWCC]</ref> The company has partnerships with 425 carrier networks in 125 countries. Founded in 2002 by [[Ehsan Bayat]], Afghan Wireless is a joint venture of [[Telephone Systems International]] and the [[Afghan Ministry of Communications]].<ref name=rose/><ref name="NZ Herald">{{Cite web|title=Auckland firm puts Afghans in touch|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/auckland-firm-puts-afghans-in-touch/SFEONT7VN4WZRM56SYMHSC4IPU/|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

==History==
===Founding and licensing===
In 1998, [[Afghan-American]] telecommunications entrepreneur [[Ehsan Bayat]] won an exclusive license from Afghanistan's [[Taliban]] government to create a joint venture with the country's [[Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Afghanistan)|Ministry of Communications]],<ref name=rose/> which was given 20% ownership.<ref name=rose/><ref name="Globe and Mail Jeong">{{Cite news|last=Jeong|first=May|date=February 27, 2014|title=The one thing that works in Afghanistan: mobile|language=en-CA|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/the-one-thing-that-works-in-afghanistan-mobile/article17115573/|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> The deal had been negotiated by investors from the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom|Britain]], and [[Sweden]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Romero|first=Simon|date=November 26, 2001|title=Telecommunications Entrepreneur With a Colorful Résumé|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/26/business/telecommunications-entrepreneur-with-a-colorful-resume.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Afghan Wireless Communications Company, or AWCC, was established as a subsidiary of [[Telephone Systems International]],<ref name="NZ Herald"/> and financial backing was provided by the British entrepreneurs Stuart Bentham and [[Marquess of Salisbury#Line of succession|Lord Michael Cecil]].<ref name=rose/><ref name="Tapei Times Ringing">{{Cite web|date=November 27, 2001|title=Setting Afghanistan ringing |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/bizfocus/archives/2001/11/27/0000113386|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=[[Taipei Times]]}}</ref> In June 1999 the Taliban granted Afghan Wireless a 15-year [[monopoly]] on cell phone traffic in Afghanistan,<ref name=rose/> and within the year Afghan Wireless had re-enabled Afghanistan's [[List of country calling codes|international country calling code]].<ref name=rose/> In 1999 and 2000<ref name="Tapei Times Ringing"/> the company set up digital [[telephone exchange]]s in the cities of [[Kabul]] and [[Kandahar]], replacing the outdated manual telephone switchboards that the country's telecommunications had long relied upon.<ref name=rose>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/preventing-9-11-201109 |title=9/11: The Tapping Point |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=September 2011 |first=David|last=Rose|accessdate=August 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Tapei Times Ringing"/>

Although the Taliban were overthrown by [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|an American invasion in 2001]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/business/international/once-a-bright-spot-afghan-telecoms-face-unsustainable-losses.html?_r=0 |title=Once a Bright Spot, Afghan Telecoms Face Unsustainable Losses |work=The New York Times |date=April 8, 2016 |first=Kristina|last=Shevory|accessdate=August 8, 2016}}</ref> Afghan Wireless was nevertheless the first company licensed to provide [[GSM]] wireless service in Afghanistan.<ref name="Radio Liberty"/> With the lifting of the trade embargo, Afghan Wireless brought in technology from American vendors including WorldCom, TECORE Wireless Systems, and AirNet Communications Corporation.<ref name="Radio Liberty"/> Afghan interim leader [[Hamid Karzai]] publicly made the first phone call on April 6, 2002, calling and speaking with the Afghan ambassador to the [[United Nations]] in [[New York City]]. As the network went public using a pre-paid platform, phone booths were set up for those unable to afford cellphones.<ref name="Radio Liberty">{{cite web |title=Afghanistan: First Commercial Mobile-Phone Network Launched by Ron Synovitz |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1099326.html |website=RadioLiberty |date=April 8, 2002 |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> In June 2002, Argent Networks in [[New Zealand]] was contracted to help Afghan Wireless develop its GSM mobile network. The following year Argent also developed a billing system for the network,<ref name="NZ Herald"/> and competing companies such as [[Roshan (telco)|Roshan]] started to appear.<ref name="Globe and Mail Jeong"/>

===Growth and owner lawsuits===
In 2002 Bayat allegedly attempted to [[Buyout|buy out]] Cecil and Bentham, but the offers were disregarded as "derisory".<ref name=rose/> Bayat and Afghan Wireless subsequently sued Cecil and Bentham for allegedly misappropriating money from the company.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=rose/> Cecil, Bentham, and two other founding investors counter-sued, claiming they had not received over £250 million in due shares and alleging "fraud, deceit, [[breach of contract]] and conspiracy".<ref name=telegraph>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/telecoms/5395626/Lord-Michael-Cecil-sues-Afghan-billionaire-over-250m-phone-deal.html |title=Lord Michael Cecil sues Afghan billionaire over £250m phone deal |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=May 27, 2009 |first=Ben|last=Farmer|accessdate=August 8, 2016}}</ref> The case was dismissed from American courts<ref name=cobain/> and ultimately hidden from public records and dismissed in Bayat's favor in British courts<ref name=rose/><ref name=cobain/> in August 2011.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Telephone Systems International and Ehsanollah Bayat Defeat US$400 Million Claim Brought by Lord Michael Cecil, Stuart Bentham and Alexander Grinling Bringing 9 Years of Litigation to a Close |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telephone-systems-international-and-ehsanollah-bayat-defeat-us400-million-claim-brought-by-lord-michael-cecil-stuart-bentham-and-alexander-grinling-bringing-9-years-of-litigation-to-a-close-127533528.html |location=London |publisher=PR Newswire |agency=Paul Hastings LLP |date=August 11, 2011 |access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name=rose/>

Starting around 2006, Afghan Wireless was one of five companies with towers damaged and destroyed by the Taliban,<ref name="Globe and Mail Jeong"/> with the Taliban demanding that telecommunications companies in the country limit service.<ref name="Telegraph on the Line">{{cite web |title=British businessmen strike deal to put Taliban on-line |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322084420/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1348810/British-businessmen-strike-deal-to-put-Taliban-on-line.html |archive-date=2020-03-22 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1348810/British-businessmen-strike-deal-to-put-Taliban-on-line.html}}</ref> The attacks were reported stopped by 2009, with ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' explaining that "public discontent with service disruptions overwhelmed religious or tribal affiliations."<ref name="Globe and Mail Jeong"/> By June 2008, Afghan Wireless reported to have 2 million subscribers across all 34 of [[Provinces of Afghanistan|Afghanistan's provinces]].<ref name="PCWorldGrows">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/147413/article.html |title=Mobile Phone Use Grows in Afghanistan |work=[[PC World]] |date=June 23, 2008 |first=Dan |last=Nystedt |accessdate=August 8, 2016 |archive-date=September 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927225151/http://www.pcworld.com/article/147413/article.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The company had around 5 million users by 2009.<ref name=telegraph/> In 2011 Afghan Wireless remained partially owned by the [[Afghan Ministry of Communications]], which maintains a 10-20% stake.<ref name=rose/><ref name="Kabul Press Sued">[https://www.kabulpress.org/article3359.html Kabul Press]</ref>

===Allegations of American intelligence links===
{{Wikisource|Executive Order 13129}}

In a 2011 report by ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' contributing editor [[David Rose (journalist)|David Rose]], it was alleged that Afghan Wireless was linked to an American intelligence project called Operation Foxden, a [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and [[National Security Agency]] endeavor to wiretap Afghan Wireless' infrastructure for intelligence gathering on the Taliban regime.<ref name=rose/> Although allegedly authorized to proceed on September 8, 2001, Operation Foxden was rendered moot by the [[September 11 attacks]] and invasion of Afghanistan.<ref name=cobain>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/27/us-intelligence-failure-911-fbi-cia |title=US acted to conceal evidence of intelligence failure before 9/11 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=March 27, 2012 |first=Ian|last=Cobain|accessdate=August 8, 2016}}</ref><ref name=rose/> Rose claimed that in the operation's planning stages, the FBI and NSA helped transfer ownership of Afghan Wireless to a shell company, Netmobile, in [[Liechtenstein]], to circumnavigate the 1999 [[wikisource|Executive Order 13129]] ban on American citizens doing business with the Taliban.<ref name=rose/> In response to the article, Bayat denied that American intelligence agencies were behind the change in ownership, and that "to the contrary, my application for an exemption from U.S. sanctions was denied by the U.S. government." Bayat also denied that he or his companies had acted unlawfully, installed wiretaps, or acted as "an agent, informant or spy".<ref name=rose/>

==2010s==
Afghan Wireless launched a mobile-money feature in 2012<ref name="TimeTechEdge">{{cite web |title=How Afghanistanis on the Leading Edge of a Tech Revolution |first=Erik |last=Heinrich |url=https://world.time.com/2013/03/02/how-afghanistan-is-on-the-leading-edge-of-a-tech-revolution/ |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=March 2, 2013 |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> involving biometrics.<ref name="Biometrics Update">{{Cite web|date=March 13, 2015|title=Afghanistan continues to see delays for biometric ID card {{!}} Biometric Update|url=https://www.biometricupdate.com/201503/afghanistan-government-continues-to-see-delays-for-biometric-identification-card|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=www.biometricupdate.com|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2017, the [[Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan)|Afghanistan Ministry of Finance]] gave Afghan Wireless a "Best Large Taxpayer" award.<ref name="RTABestOf">{{cite web |title=Ministry of Finance Appreciates 'Best Large Taxpayers |url=http://rta.org.af/eng/2017/05/03/ministry-of-finance-appreciates-best-large-taxpayers/ |website=National Radio Television of Afghanistan |date=2017 |access-date=March 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321130306/http://rta.org.af/eng/2017/05/03/ministry-of-finance-appreciates-best-large-taxpayers/  |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Afghan Wireless announced that it had launched the first [[4G LTE]] service in Afghanistan in May 2017, claiming position as the country's largest private employer, with 8,000 employees.<ref name="SpectrumLee">{{cite web |title=Afghan Wireless Launches First 4G LTE Network in Afghanistan |first=Amy |last=Nordrum |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/afghan-wireless-launches-first-4g-lte-network-in-afghanistan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601192117/http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/afghan-wireless-launches-first-4g-lte-network-in-afghanistan |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 1, 2017 |website=[[IEEE Spectrum]] |date= June 1, 2017 |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> That year, the company also partnered with 425 wireless networks spread throughout 125 countries, with five million clients<ref name="PR4Glaunch">{{cite web |title=Afghan Wireless Launches Afghanistan's First 4G/LTE Communications Network |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/afghan-wireless-launches-afghanistans-first-4glte-communications-network-300451644.html  |publisher=Afghan Wireless |date=2017 |access-date=March 20, 2018}}</ref> and coverage in all of [[Provinces of Afghanistan|Afghanistan's 34 provinces]].<ref name="AWCC Press Release Tuition"/>

In February 2018, Afghan Wireless announced that its mobile payment service could be used on electricity bills.<ref name="AWCC Press Release">{{Cite web|title=AWCC'S My Money Mobile Payments Service and Afghanistan's National Utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, Launch Electricity Bill Payment Partnership |publisher=Afghan Wireless|url=https://afghan-wireless.com/awccs-my-money-mobile-payments-service-and-afghanistans-national-utility-da-afghanistan-breshna-sherkat-launch-electricity-bill-payment-partnership/|access-date=February 21, 2022|language=en}}</ref> The following month, the company signed a new license agreement with the [[List of telecommunications regulatory bodies|Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority]] (ATRA) for installation and operation of a [[optical fiber|fiber optic network]].<ref name="AWCC Press Release Fiber Optics">{{Cite web|title=Contract Of National Fiber Optics Investment License Signed Between ATRA and AWCC |publisher=Afghan Wireless|url=https://afghan-wireless.com/contract-of-national-fiber-optics-investment-license-signed-between-atra-and-awcc/|access-date=February 21, 2022|language=en}}</ref> By April 2018, Afghan Wireless remained the only mobile communications company in the country providing 4G LTE HD and, that month, increased pay assistance to its employees attending [[Kardan University]] and [[Rana Institute of Higher Studies|Rana University]].<ref name="AWCC Press Release Tuition"/>

In August 2018, AWCC launched Khazana, an [[SMS]]-based news and media subscription service.<ref>{{cite web |title=News, Sports and Entertainment Delivered Instantly: AWCC Launches Khazana Information Services |url=https://afghan-wireless.com/news-sports-and-entertainment-delivered-instantly-awcc-launches-khazana-information-services/ |website=AWCC |date=August 2, 2018 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

In October 2018, Afghan Wireless launched 4.75G+ service in [[Kandahar City]], upgrading subscribers from [[4G]] to its higher-speed service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Afghan Wireless Launches Advanced 4.75G+ LTE Network Service in Kandahar AWCC Deploys New, Ultra-Fast 4.75G+ Afghanistan's Most Advanced Generation of 4G LTE Service to Kandahar, Provides Subscribers with Complimentary SIM Upgrade to New Service |url=https://afghan-wireless.com/afghan-wireless-launches-advanced-4-75g-lte-network-service-in-kandahar-awcc-deploys-new-ultra-fast-4-75g-afghanistans-most-advanced-generation-of-4g-lte-service-to-kandahar-provides-subs/ |website=AWCC |date=October 2, 2018 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

As of December 2018, the AWCC My Money [[Mobile app|app]] was noted as the largest mobile payment service in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Afghan Wireless and D.light Form Strategic Partnership: Companies Join Forces To Provide Clean, Off-Grid Residential Lighting and Electric Power Systems To Afghans |url=https://afghan-wireless.com/afghan-wireless-and-d-light-form-strategic-partnership-companies-join-forces-to-provide-clean-off-grid-residential-lighting-and-electric-power-systems-to-afghans/ |website=AWCC |date=December 18, 2018 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

In January 2019, in cooperation with [[World Bank Group]] member, the [[International Finance Corporation]] (IFC)'s Lighting Afghanistan program; AWCC launched its pay-as-you-go (PAYG) electrical service, reported to be Afghanistan's first [[off-grid]] [[solar power]]ed electrical service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=AWCC Launches Paygo—afghanistan's First-Ever Off-Grid Solar Powered Electrical Lighting and Power Service |publisher=Afghan Wireless|url=https://afghan-wireless.com/awcc-launches-paygo-afghanistans-first-ever-off-grid-solar-powered-electrical-lighting-and-power-service/|access-date=February 21, 2022|language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://www.lightingglobal.org/news/lighting-asia-launches-paygo-in-afghanistan/"Lighting Asia launches PAYGO in Afghanistan"; Lighting Global.org; January 20, 2019.]</ref>

===FIFA sponsorship===
AWCC was a sponsor of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] held in [[Russia]], which was then broadcast in Afghanistan for the first time by the [[Ariana Television Network]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Afghan Wireless Named Sponsor of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia |url=https://afghan-wireless.com/afghan-wireless-named-sponsor-of-2018-fifa-world-cup-russia/ |website=AWCC |date=May 15, 2018 |access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of companies of Afghanistan]]
*[[Communications in Afghanistan]]
*[[List of telephone operating companies]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://afghan-wireless.com/}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Telecommunications companies of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Joint ventures]]
[[Category:Mobile phone companies of Afghanistan]]