The founding of Afghan Wireless Communication Company in 2001 represented the largest infrastructure investment in Afghanistan’s history. Founder Ehsan Bayat's first company, Telephone Systems International, invested $60 million to establish the foundations of the Afghan Wireless network. For the people of Afghanistan, however, the investment was far from a one-time cash infusion. Instead, Afghan Wireless has become one of the country's largest employers and a vital part of its economy.

2.  The founding of Afghan Wireless
Communication Company in 2001 represented
the largest infrastructure investment in
Afghanistan’s history. Founder Ehsan Bayat's
first company, Telephone Systems International,
invested $60 million to establish the foundations
of the Afghan Wireless network. For the people
of Afghanistan, however, the investment was
far from a one-time cash infusion. Instead,
Afghan Wireless has become one of the
country's largest employers and a vital part of
its economy.

3.  By March of 2012, Afghan Wireless had
expanded from a few hundred employees to
over 4,300, a number that does not include the
tens of thousands of Afghans who derive their
livelihood from reselling top-up cards or SIM
cards. While the company started with
American investment money and an
international workforce, it now claims more
than 97 percent local employees. In addition
to providing employment, the company has
initiated the Afghan Development Program, an
initiative that provides further education and
training for Afghan Wireless employees.