Two billion GSM phones worldwide

GSM based mobile subscriptions have touched 2 billion worldwide, the global alliance of wireless service providers that use the technology announced on Tuesday.

GSM based mobile subscriptions have touched 2 billion worldwide, the global alliance of wireless service providers that use the technology announced on Tuesday.

The GSM Association (GSMA), which held its first board meeting in India on Monday and announced the subscriptions later, said today that the market in India will be key to the growth of GSM services in coming years.

The GSMA board has also decided to invite global bids for manufacturing the first low cost 3G handset anywhere, Craig Ehrlich, Chairman, GSMA said. He said, ‘‘We have begun discussions at the GSMA board for a mass market 3G handset. It is essential that we bring down the entry cost for 3G.’’

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Ehrlich said that multiple companies will be tendering for the project, and that the details will be more final after six months.

GSMA operators, who include Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, clearly want India to pursue its launch of 3G services more aggressively. Some form of 3G services are predicted to launch in India by this year’s end according to a recent Yankee Group report, but there are no clear signs that this will actually happen.

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