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Global
News
July
28, 2003
GSM
subscribers hit 80-percent mark
UNITED
KINGDOM -- For the first time since 1997, the percentage
of new subscribers selecting GSM as their mobile service
of choice has passed 80 percent. According to new figures
published by EMC World Cellular Database, the total
number of new mobile subscribers in Q1-03 approached
51 million, with GSM accounting for almost 42 million,
or 82 percent of new additions in this period.
GSM
operators are also the largest in the world with China
Mobile at over 144 million, and China Unicom at almost
75 million subscribers with GSM accounting for 65 million,
by the end of Q1-03. Of the top 20 largest operators
(by customer numbers) in the world, 15 operators use
GSM, which is clear evidence of GSM's broad market acceptance,
and performance in the highly competitive mobile services
market.
China
accounts for the largest proportion of mobile growth
globally, followed by Asia Pacific, Western Europe and
Eastern Europe. In Asia Pacific, including China, GSM
operators generated 81 percent of the region's growth.
In China alone, GSM growth in Q1-03 was 14.1 million
subscribers, or 87 percent of new additions. GSM markedly
increased market share in North America, by achieving
61 percent of net additions in Q1-03.
Alan
Hadden, president, GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association),
said: "There has been strong GSM growth in virtually
every region of the world during the first quarter of
the year. We have seen excellent progress, especially
in Asia Pacific, China and Latin America in the take
up and growth of GSM. Brazil is one of the most hotly
contested markets in Latin America, where GSM captured
51 percent of growth in the first quarter of this year.
The success of GSM has been outstanding, taking a clear
position of leadership, with TDMA and CDMA growth declining."
He
added: "We again see how customers are benefiting
from operators' decisions to migrate from TDMA to the
secure GSM evolution path that delivers new, advanced
mobile services as well as new data and roaming revenues.
In addition, the interest and take up of new GSM data
services like picture messaging, Java games, music downloads
and now video messaging, show how GSM operators meet
the growing needs of an ever expanding audience."
Contact:
Global Mobile Suppliers Association
Tel: +44-1279-439-667
Fax: +44-1279-435-443
Email: press@gsacom.com
www.gsacom.com
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