GSM Association

The GSM Association (GSMA, or Groupe Speciale Mobile Association), formed in 1995, is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardising, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system.[1]

The GSMA organises the largest annual event in the mobile industry, the GSMA Mobile World Congress, in addition to smaller, targeted events GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai[2] and the GSMA Mobile 360 Series.[3]

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors.

It traces its history back to the Bonn declaration by the Ministers of Germany, UK, France and Italy in May 1987 that called for the drawing up of a MoU to be ready by September 1987 for the signature of European mobile operators. The GSM MoU was the idea of Stephen Temple, a senior official in the UK Department of Trade and Industry. 13 mobile network operators from 12 countries signed the GSM MoU on 7 September 1987 in Copenhagen. The original copy is held by the GSM Association and was described later by Sir Christopher Gent, former CEO of Vodafone, as the most important document in mobile radio history.[4] The "GSM MoU Association" was created in 1995 by the signatories.[5]

Telecoms.com called it "one of the most powerful trade associations in the world, lobbying governments on everything from tax policy to pricing strategy".[6]

Web Blocking

The GSMA's transnational partnerships may affect ISP web blocking across many jurisdictions such as the UK's Internet Watch Foundation's child abuse image content list[7]

References

  1. ↑ Leader (2007-09-07). "Happy 20th Birthday, GSM". zdnet.co.uk. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-05. The memorandum of understanding that created all this was merely an agreement, not an organisation — the GSM Association didn't actually exist until 1995.
  2. ↑ "MWC Shanghai 2015 - Mobile Unlimited". MWC Shanghai 2015.
  3. ↑ "GSMA Mobile 360 Series".
  4. ↑ "Who created GSM?". Stephen Temple. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "History". GSMA. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  6. ↑ "Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSM Association". telecoms.com. n.d.
  7. ↑ McIntyre, TJ. "Child Abuse images and Cleanfeeds: Assessing Internet Blocking Systems". p. 5. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

External links

GSMA Events