GSM: the business of a billion people

[TNDan21]

GSM: the business of a billion people

GSM celebrates as historic milestone is passed ahead of schedule

Cannes, France 22nd February 2004: More than one billion people, almost one in six of the world’s population, are now using GSM mobile phones. This historic milestone has been reached only 12 years after the launch of the first networks.

Now adopted by more than 200 countries and territories, GSM has become the only global standard for mobile communications. As the choice of 80 per cent of all new mobile customers, GSM has driven wireless take-up to the extent that mobile phones now outnumber fixed telephone lines globally.

“Throughout its relatively short history, GSM has regularly beaten growth forecasts,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association and member of its Board.

“As recently as the turn of the year, we thought we would hit the billion landmark sometime in March – but GSM has not lost its capacity to surprise and delight. Operator connections are running faster than anticipated and we actually passed the milestone earlier this month.

“GSM was born out of the revolutionary vision that mobile phones should keep customers connected anytime, anywhere, even when crossing borders. That revolution has gained currency and support faster than even the most optimistic dreams of it founders,” he added.

Leading representatives of the GSM community, including the GSM Association, Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Motorola, Siemens, 3G Americas and UMTS Forum have joined together to celebrate this historic milestone.

The billion GSM customers will be a central theme at next week’s 3GSM World Congress, the annual gathering of the global mobile industry in Cannes, France, and will also be commemorated at events worldwide over the coming months.

GSM: the business of a billion people

[ILUVSOCAL]

Cool article, thanks Dan!

[jones]

Again with Cingular/attws Merger there will be more GSM user in The USA. It's BAD for CDMA in it's Home Turf.

[Fathead]

How will the AT&T Cingular merger add that many GSM suscribers?

[jones]

Originally posted by: Fathead
How will the AT&T Cingular merger add that many GSM suscribers?

Not all Cingular/ATTWS Are GSM Most are TDMA; If they can convert all to GSM that will be 46 Million GSM versus 36 M cdma.

[GoodmanR]

Originally posted by: jones

Not all Cingular/ATTWS Are GSM Most are TDMA; If they can convert all to GSM that will be 46 Million GSM versus 36 M cdma.

And they wouldn't convert to GSM without the merger? Not sure how much sense that makes.....

You could say that Cingluar has pushed customers harder toward GSM migration, and that will help....

[WirelessBeachBum]

The merger will most likely push people to Sprint or Verizon until the bumps are worked out...so probably initially a boost for cdma. Eventually this argument will not matter as more devices become "world phones"

[GoodmanR]

Originally posted by: WirelessBeachBum
The merger will most likely push people to Sprint or Verizon until the bumps are worked out...so probably initially a boost for cdma. Eventually this argument will not matter as more devices become "world phones"

If by world phoen you mean CDMA/GSM then I dont agree. There really will be no need to GSM subscribers to get one of these, only a need for CDMA subscribers to buy them. A GSM subscriber wont need one becasue soon the GSM footprint will be as big as CDMA or big enough. Already, anyone with a GSM phoen can get coverage in any major city, basically anywhere.

[WirelessBeachBum]

A GSM subscriber wont need one becasue soon the GSM footprint will be as big as CDMA or big enough. Already, anyone with a GSM phoen can get coverage in any major city, basically anywhere.

Okay we'll wait and see.

[GoodmanR]

Originally posted by: WirelessBeachBum

Okay we'll wait and see.

The focus of these devices are business travellers. Why would anyone pay extra, give up form factor and features for a technology they don't really need? They travel to major cities, and stay on major highways and roads, I just dont see why anyone who uses GSM at home would sacrifice anything to get CDMA on their GSM phone.

[WirelessBeachBum]

As phone's improve and become less expensive, you will see the more options with your equipment. Wireless carriers would love to be out of the equipment business...just like most home phone are no longer purchased from the local phone company, eventually wireless phones will be sold in different distribution channels, and it only makes sense that these phones will have more capabilities to work with multiple networks.

Back in 1999 when Motorola said they were not going to make a phone the next year without a web browser I was sitting in an analog market saying no way.

And a couple of years ago who thought most of the phones on the market today would have color screens.

Of course I could be wrong...I didn't think I would watch more TV on my phone than on a real TV...smartphones are great.

[jones]

[quote]
Originally posted by: GoodmanR

Originally posted by: jones

You could say that Cingluar has pushed customers harder toward GSM migration, and that will help....

makes a lot of sense.

[agentHibby]

There probably will be world phones on the GSM side also. Would not be suprized next year if you start seeing them. Reason in rual areas where their is no PCS and both A and B Cellular providers are going CDMA. So unless one of them add a base station for GSM they will to offer world phones so they can roam on CDMA. This will be true for parts of rual Iowa and other areas, since most GSM phones don't do analog.

If almost every company shuts down 800 Mhz Analog in 2008. How will a GSM phone roam on an area that is 100% CDMA??? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

[jones]

who needs Analog? The rest of the world shut down their Analog.

Qualcom should change their Strategy like lower royalty fees.

[GoodmanR]

Honestly, how many people from other countries, who are the kind of business travelers who pay the roaming charges, actually travel somewhere that there is not GSM coverage already? I don't think there are really all that many trips taken to rural Wyoming.

Originally posted by: agentHibby
There probably will be world phones on the GSM side also. Would not be suprized next year if you start seeing them. Reason in rual areas where their is no PCS and both A and B Cellular providers are going CDMA. So unless one of them add a base station for GSM they will to offer world phones so they can roam on CDMA. This will be true for parts of rual Iowa and other areas, since most GSM phones don't do analog.

If almost every company shuts down 800 Mhz Analog in 2008. How will a GSM phone roam on an area that is 100% CDMA??? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

[agentHibby]

Even people in the US that are with Cingular and AT&T etc. are affected now. Have freinds in Logan who upgraded their phones to GSM some live in Southern Utah, and they found out it does not work unless you are nearby the freeway. I am sure that Western Wireless will add GSM to there base stations someday. For Vodaphone they might have to do world phones becuase they are with Verizon. Unless they exit the Cellco Parnership in the next 1 1/2 years, they are going to want free roaming, so they will have to use Verizon's network.

Actually, Rual Wyoming will have better GSM than CDMA Verizon. Union Cellular what I understand is going to be GSM because of Roaming Partners.
Bill Radio probably knows more on this

[bobolito]

Originally posted by: agentHibby
There probably will be world phones on the GSM side also. Would not be suprized next year if you start seeing them. Reason in rual areas where their is no PCS and both A and B Cellular providers are going CDMA. So unless one of them add a base station for GSM they will to offer world phones so they can roam on CDMA. This will be true for parts of rual Iowa and other areas, since most GSM phones don't do analog.

If almost every company shuts down 800 Mhz Analog in 2008. How will a GSM phone roam on an area that is 100% CDMA??? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

I don't think this will be necessary. Many rural carriers are implementing CDMA/GSM networks just for roamers, so GSM will exist in one form or another in those rural areas. What I see coming is the disappearance of tri-band phones. We will eventually have all world phones become quad-band and there will only be dual or quad-band phones in the world. There's a lot of GSM 800 coming to the rest of North America, Central and South America.