Happy 20th – GSM!

It was on 7 September 1987 that 15 operators from 13 countries signed a memorandum of understanding that led to the development of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the first pan-European mobile standard and, subsequently, the first global mobile standard.

“The 1987 agreement is widely regarded as the foundation of today’s global mobile-phone industry and the birth of one of the greatest technological achievements of our age,” said Rob Conway, chief executive of the GSM Association, on Thursday.

Source: GSMA

In celebration, the GSMA has put together 20 Facts about the past twenty years:

1. There are 2.5 billion GSM connections worldwide
2. There are 1.2 million new GSM connections every day
3. In 2006, cellular services accounted for 1.6% of the global economy
4. More than 1 billion mobile phones will be sold this year
5. Mobile operators have spent more than $234 billion building GSM and 3GSM** networks since 2002
6. More than 80% of the world’s population are covered by GSM networks
7. The world’s best selling phone is the Nokia 1100 which has sold more than 200 million units
8. Nearly 7 billion text messages are sent every day*
9. The first text message was sent in 1992. The msg was ‘merry xmas’
10. The world’s biggest GSM markets are China (445m), Russia (160m) and India (137m)
11. All 220 countries have GSM or 3GSM** networks operating today
12. There are more than 150m 3GSM** connections
13. 85% of the world’s mobile connections are GSM
14. The world will reach 4 billion mobile connections in Q1 2010
15. 350 million people will have access to wireless e-mail by 2010
16. Over 60 countries have launched Mobile Broadband (HSPA) networks
17. People spend 40% more time on mobile calls than they did in 2000
18. Annual mobile advertising spend will be $14 billion in 2011
19. It took 12 years to get to 1 billion GSM connections, and just thirty months to get to 2 billion
20. 64% of mobile users are in emerging markets***

Sources:
1,2,10,11,12,13,17,19,20 Wireless Intelligence 6,16 GSMA 3 GSMA/Wireless Intelligence.
4 “Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales Grew 17 Per Cent in Second Quarter of 2007″, August 2007
5 Gartner – Forecast Summary: Mobile Network Infrastructure, Worldwide, 2004-2011; May 2007
Forecast Summary: Mobile Network Infrastructure, Worldwide, 2003-2010; January 2007;
Forecast: Mobile Network Infrastructure, Worldwide, 2002-2009; October 2005
15 “A Democratisation Process Will Bring Wireless E-Mail to the Masses, Says Gartner” July 2007
7 Nokia 8 Informa 9 MDA 18 Strategy Analytics
* Data from Q1, 2007
** 3GSM refers to W-CDMA and HSPA
*** Emerging markets listed on GSM World: http://www.gsmworld.com/emh/emerging_markets.html
Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this material, the facts and estimates stated are based on
information and sources that, while we believe them to be reliable, are not guaranteed. In particular, it should not be relied upon as the sole
source of reference in relation to the subject matter.
No liability can be accepted by the GSM Association or Wireless Intelligence, its members, directors or employees for any loss occasioned
to any person or entity acting or failing to act as a result of anything contained in or omitted from the content of this material, or our
conclusions as stated. Wireless Intelligence has no obligation to update or amend the research or to let anyone know if its opinions change
materially. GSM refers to the GSM family of technologies, which includes GSM, WCDMA and HSPA.