London: The GSMA today announced that it has elected Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of Telenor Group, to serve as GSMA Chairman for the remainder of the current Board term through December 2014. In this role, Mr. Baksaas will oversee the strategic direction of the organisation, which represents nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. Mr. Baksaas had served as Deputy Chairman since January 2011. He has worked in the telecom industry for 25 years and has been the CEO of Telenor since 2002.

“I am honoured to have been elected as Chairman of the GSMA,” commented Mr. Baksaas. “I look forward to working closely with the rest of the Board, the GSMA team and our entire membership to advance important industry issues. It is truly inspiring to work in an industry that has such a profound and increasing impact on the people and societies we serve.

“Connecting even more of the world’s population to the mobile Internet is a top priority, and to address this, the GSMA will continue to focus on the future evolution of our networks, the adoption of secure and interoperable new services and advocate for the needs of our industry to governments and regulators,” said Baksaas.

“We are at a critical juncture in the development of the mobile communications industry, as we see an ever-increasing number of people, devices and things becoming connected by mobile,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA. “I am looking forward to working with Jon Fredrik and the entire GSMA Board to develop global and regional programmes that will drive future growth and investment in mobile services, and deliver the social and economic benefits that mobile can provide to men and women around the world.”

-ENDS-

About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries and territories, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem , including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com . Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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