Services
With more than 3 billion people using GSM and approximately 80 percent of the world's population covered by mobile networks, GSM is fast becoming the most popular way to deliver information, communication and entertainment services to people worldwide.
Increased sophistication
Since the 1990s, the GSM family of technologies has become increasingly sophisticated and GSM networks now offer a wealth of mobile data and entertainment services.
After voice, the growth of SMS (Short Messaging Service), or text messaging, continues, with an estimated one trillion messages sent globally in 2005. More advanced messaging services – such as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), IM (Instant Messaging) and mobile email – offer users an even richer mobile messaging experience.
Media-rich content
Mobile communications also has the opportunity to become the new personal entertainment and information medium of choice. Already dubbed the 'fourth screen,' after television, cinema and the PC, the industry is delivering a vast array of media rich content to users throughout the world including advanced mobile gaming applications, mobile music, and TV and video content.
The benefits of convenience, immediacy and personalisation have fostered the growth of location-based services and mobile commerce applications. Internet-style services on hundreds of thousands of WAP sites contain much of the information and images found on the wider Internet.