About GSM Association

About the GSM Association

Founded in 1987, The GSM Association (GSMA) is a global trade association representing more than 750 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 territories and countries of the world. In addition, more than 180 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as associate members.

The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members represent more than 3 billion GSM and 3GSM connections - over 86% of the world's mobile phone connections.

The GSMA plays a pivotal role in the development of the GSM platform and the global wireless industry. Much of the GSMA's work is focused on two areas: Emerging services and emerging markets. The GSMA helps its members develop and launch new services, ranging from mobile instant messaging to video sharing to mobile Internet access, which will work across networks and across national boundaries. At the same time, the GSMA is heavily engaged in the industry's push to extend basic voice and text services to more people in emerging markets.

GSM is an evolving wireless communications standard that already offers an extensive and feature-rich 'family' of voice and data services. The GSM family of technologies consists of today's GSM, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) and third generation GSM services (3GSM) based on W-CDMA and HSDPA access technologies. Together these technologies underpin the GSM platform.

The GSM Association's Board comprises top-level representatives of some of the world's leading mobile operators, such as AT&T, China Mobile, Orange, Telefonica Moviles, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

IN FOCUS The GSM Association Brochure 2008 [Feb 08] The mission of the GSM Association as a unique global trade association is to preserve, enhance and promote the interests of GSM mobile operators, taking a leadership role in representing its Members with one voice on a wide variety of national, regional and global issues. On 17 September 1987, network operators from thirteen countries signed a memorandum of understanding that committed them to... (PDF 1.66mb) Download brochure...

IN FOCUS Emerging Market Handset Programme The GSMA's Emerging Market Handset initiative (EMH) was launched at the 3GSM World Congress in February 2005. It is part of the Association's strategic programme that was created with a view to "bridging the digital divide", a GSMA goal being to give 80% of the world's population access to mobile communications by 2010... More on this...

IN FOCUS Personal Instant Messaging Technology advances are allowing mobile operators to bring the immediacy and convenience of mobility to popular Internet services, such as email and instant messaging. Thanks to advances in technology and leveraging the proven strengths of 3GSM's global interoperability and trusted environment, users experiences will be taken to a new level of service delivery, quality and enjoyment... More on this...