Wireless network operator World Mobile has announced the appointment of Manoj Kohli as an advisor.

An industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience, Manoj has served as the country head of SoftBank India and the CEO of Bharti Airtel. He will bring his experience to bear on World Mobile's goal of rolling out a hybrid connectivity solution across the African continent, Asia, the USA, and beyond.

Manoj will provide strategic guidance and mentorship to World Mobile's leadership team, helping them scale their platform that leverages blockchain technology and hybrid connectivity to offer affordable and accessible wireless services to anyone, anywhere.

During his tenure at SoftBank India and Bharti Airtel, Manoj was instrumental in shaping industry transformations in mobile internet, satellite television, renewable energy, digital unicorns, and electric vehicles.

"Manoj is a visionary leader who has transformed the telecoms landscape in India, Africa, and beyond. Manoj’s expertise and insights will be invaluable as we pursue our global ambitions to democratise wireless access and empower millions of people around the world through our sharing economy,” said Micky Watkins, World Mobile CEO

" I believe they have a unique and disruptive proposition that can revolutionise the wireless industry and create social impact. I look forward to working with Micky and his talented team to support their growth and expansion plans,” said Manoj.

During his tenure as country head of SoftBank, Manoj is credited with supporting more than 25 AI-focused portfolio companies of SoftBank Group and Vision Fund. These included Ola, Oyo, Paytm, Lenskart, Grofers, Snapdeal, WeWork, Delhivery, Uber, Swiggy and Unacademy.

He led operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, scaling Bharti Airtel’s customer base from 2 million to 400 million to make Airtel the third-largest telco in the world by 2015. The formation of Airtel TV as a leader in DTH services and Indus as the largest tower company in the world for achieving major infrastructural synergies were also led by him.

Manoj also served on the Board of the GSMA in 2008 and 2012, was the Chairman of the CII Task Force on Ease of Doing Business, and is now Chair of the CII Unicorn Forum for attracting new tech investments in India.

World Mobile’s decentralised wireless network provides reliable internet access in areas that are traditionally underserved.