The GSMA, the global trade group for the mobile industry, today announced that total connections to GSM mobile communications networks have now passed the 3 Billion mark globally. The third billion landmark has been reached just four years after the GSM industry surpassed its first billion, and just two years from the second billionth connection.
The 3 Billion landmark has been surpassed just 17 years after the first GSM network launch in 1991. Today more than 700 mobile operators across 218 countries and territories of the world are adding new connections at the rate of 15 per second, or 1.3 million per day.
The world’s biggest GSM markets today are China (509 million), which is growing at a rate of more than 7 million new connections a month and accounts for 14% of the third billion growth; India (193 million), growing at 6 million per month accounts for 12% of the third billion growth, Russia (178 million) and Brazil (93 million) which both contributed 4% of the third billion growth.
“The growth of mobile communications continues to soar, not least in emerging markets, which are responsible for 85 percent of new connections today,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Board Member of the GSMA. “One cannot underestimate the importance of mobile as a vital communications tool, connecting so many people, often for the first time in their lives.
“Against that backdrop, the roll-out of Mobile Broadband services, offering high speed internet and rich media access is well underway and available in more than 73 countries today,” added Conway. “Mobile Broadband hails the next era for our vast eco-system, one that is delivering remarkable social and economic benefits to people, businesses and economies throughout the world.”
The news comes as the GSMA today premiers a special documentary film Mobile Planet, exploring the social and economic value of mobile communications across 20 countries of the world. Produced in partnership with TelecomTV, the film features a host of locations from Japan to Rwanda, South Africa to Chile, where mobile is enhancing lives and changing the face of societies. The film will be shown for the first time in full at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London tonight.
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association’s initiatives as key partners.
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.
For more information on Mobile Planet, see www.gsmtwenty.com
For more information please contact:
Mark Smith or David Pringle
GSMA
Email: [email protected]
* Statistics Source: Wireless Intelligence. Includes all GSM family technologies, GSM, GPRS, EDGE. W-CDMA and HSPA