Two of the world's largest wireless operators, China Mobile and Bharti Airtel, are hunting for global acquisitions, underlining a shift in momentum in the sector from developed operators to cash-rich companies from the emerging markets.

China Mobile is the largest operator in China, the world's biggest market with more than 616m subscribers, while Bharti is the leader in India, the world's fastest-growing telecom industry with 10m new subscribers each month on top of the existing 315m.