Title: MEHBOOB CHOWDHURY
1Update on GSMA Activities Material Decisions of
Key Working Groups of GSMA Since October 2006
- MEHBOOB CHOWDHURY
- Chairman
- GSM Asia Pacific (GSMAP)
2October 2006GSMA Announces Shortlist for the
First Asia Mobile Innovation Awards
- Asia Mobile Innovation Awards is a competition
for young, small and start up companies across
Asia that are developing technologies,
applications and compelling content for the fast
moving mobile space
- The six short-listed companies have been selected
from more than 70 entries - Each category has three nominations
- Category 1 - Innovative Mobile Application or
Content - GSTL (India) for Geneva NDIS - a disaster
information dissemination system - N2N Consulting for M-Bit Network - supports
mobile media applications - Microimage Ltd for localized messaging and
content browsing - Category 2 - Innovative Technology Development
- Open-Plug for ELIPS - claims to be the first open
software framework designed for mobile phones - Radius ED for Global 1 Number - a simple
universal short code that lets mobile users
access information from anywhere in the world - Dialog-UOM Lab Microimage for GSM Devices for
Early Warning (DEWN)
3October 2006GSMA's Hubbing Program to Streamline
Global Delivery of SMS Messages
- Exchanging text messages across the world's 700
GSM networks will become a reality following the
successful completion of the second phase of the
GSM Association's trials of a hub-based
interoperability structure.
- First unveiled in February 2006
- The new hub-based structure will deliver major
efficiencies to mobile operators by removing the
need of bilateral inter-working agreements - Operators will only have to connect once to a hub
to reach all the other networks connected to that
hub - The second phase of the hubbing trial began in
early September and involved 26 operators in more
than 20 countries, spanning four continents
We are confident that the system will deliver
significant commercial and technical benefits for
the operator community, and improved service
levels for their customers. Alex Sinclair Chief
Technology Officer, GSMA
4October 2006Instant Messages to Travel Across
Asian Mobile Networks
- Mobile operators in Asia plan to enable their
customers to exchange instant messages (IM) with
friends across different networks as part of the
global personal IM campaign run by the GSM
Association
- Operators in Malaysia, Singapore and India are
planning to launch or develop the interoperable
IM services in 2007 - These IM services will be based on a technical
and commercial framework designed by the GSMA to
maximize ease-of-use, interoperability and
reliability - To help operators quickly roll out IM services,
the GSMA has developed managed services
guidelines
By enabling a rapid-fire text-based dialogue,
soon to be enriched with pictures, music and even
video, IM is further extending the array of
communications options open to mobile phone
users. Rob Conway Chief Executive Officer, GSMA
5October 2006 Mobile Broadband to Become a
Standard Feature in Notebook Computers
- High-speed mobile broadband connectivity -
powered by HSDPA - will soon become a standard
feature of notebook PCs following the publication
of guidelines, developed by a GSM Association-led
initiative
- The initiative prescribes a common approach for
PC manufacturers to fully integrate 3G
functionality in their product ranges. - The comprehensive guidelines cover the essential
elements of 3G integration from the functionality
and features to security aspects, compliance and
testing - These detailed guidelines also address the issue
of the physical location of the 3G modem and the
SIM that will enable automatic connection to
global mobile networks. - At the 3GSM World Congress earlier in 2006, the
GSMA and Intel announced an initiative to
facilitate and drive the adoption of the GSM
family of technologies in notebooks. - The implementation of the guidelines will bring
the full power of the GSM family of technologies
to notebook users, including GSM, GPRS, EDGE,
W-CDMA and HSDPA.
6October 2006 Bangladeshi Operator, GSMA and
Entrepreneurs Team up to Bring Villages Online
- GrameenPhone (GP) rolled out Community
Information Centers across rural Bangladesh,
letting 20 million people use the Internet for
the first time. - Following a successful pilot conducted with the
GSM Association's Development Fund, GP teamed up
with local entrepreneurs to set up approximately
500 centers in communities throughout the country
by 2006.
- Each center contains personal computers connected
to GrameenPhone's existing GSM/EDGE mobile
network. - The centers are located in each upazilla, or
sub-district, of Bangladesh so that they are each
within reach of up to 15 villages containing up
to 40,000 people. - Through the Development Fund, GSMA is encouraging
other operators to follow GP's lead and rollout
similar services offering shared access to the
Internet - The computers in the 16 centers in the pilot are
used by an average of 30 people a day, who pay a
small fee to access email or Web pages. - The centers are used for a wide variety of
business and personal purposes, from accessing
health and agricultural information to using
government services to video conferencing with
relatives overseas
7October 2006Mobile Phones Could Become Key
Weapon in War on HIV/AIDS and Avian Flu
- The GSM Association's Development Fund and
Voxiva, Inc. have joined forces to develop a
mobile phone application that will make it much
easier for health authorities and governments to
track and manage the spread of HIV/AIDS, Avian
Flu and other diseases
- Health workers in the field can use the mobile
phone software to submit critical data to central
health authorities in real-time - The system also supports two-way communications,
allowing health workers in the field to receive
quicker feedback on laboratory results, treatment
guidelines or possible quarantine requirements. - The GSMA and Voxiva are running pilot projects in
Rwanda, which has a high incidence of HIV/AIDS,
and in Indonesia where Avian Flu is a major
threat.
This technology is revolutionizing how data is
captured in the field. Dr. Louis
Munyakazi Director General Rwanda National
Institute of Statistics (NISR)
8November 2006Sundance Institute Announces Pilot
with GSMA, to Create Short Films
Cell phones are fast becoming the 'fourth
screen' medium, after television, cinema and
computers. Robert Redford President and Founder,
Sundance Institute
- Sundance Institute, a champion for independent
filmmakers for over 25 years, joined forces with
the GSM Association to create the Sundance Film
Festival Global Short Film Project, a
groundbreaking pilot project that will showcase
and extend the reach of the independent short
film genre to mobile users worldwide.
- This pilot project is believed to be the first to
commission high caliber independent filmmakers to
create original stories specifically for the
mobile environment. - The project presents creative challenges to the
filmmakers who will be working with a limited
budget, time and resources to make a 3-5 minute
film for a small mobile screen - Six independent filmmakers would create five
short films, crafted exclusively for mobile
distribution
9November 2006GSMA Study Revealed Strong Global
Demand for MMS and Mobile Email
- Multimedia messaging (MMS) has become a popular
service among mobile phone users worldwide and
mobile email may have even greater potential,
according to a major survey commissioned by the
GSM Association and surveyed by Circle Research
among the consumers in Europe, North America and
Asia
- More than 40 consumers surveyed regarded MMS as
an indispensable service, while 38 see mobile
email in the same light. - Mobile email has become an increasingly popular
service among business people, in particular. - MMS has been gaining in popularity as handset
displays have improved and mobile operators have
signed interoperability agreements enabling the
exchange of messages across networks - The survey uncovered some significant regional
differences. North American respondents ranked
mobile email as the service they most prefer,
while, in Europe and Asia, text-messaging scored
highest, followed by mobile email and MMS
10December 2006GSMA called on Standards Bodies to
Follow ETSI's Lead on IPR
- The GSM Association called on standards bodies to
follow the lead of ETSI - (European
Telecommunications Standards Institute) and take
steps to improve the transparency around
intellectual property rights (IPR) related to new
technology standards
As the underlying technologies in mobile
telecommunications become more intricate,
excessive cumulative license fees for the use of
intellectual property will slow, or even prevent,
the adoption of new technologies among the
operators. The changes announced by ETSI will
reduce that danger. Alex Sinclair Chief
Technology Officer, GSMA
- Following input from the GSMA and other
stakeholders, ETSI is making several changes to
its policy and procedures to reduce the
uncertainty surrounding intellectual property
rights (IPR). - ETSI is improving the transparency of patents
declared by IPR holders to ETSI as being
essential to a standard and is streamlining the
declaration process. - ETSI is introducing safeguards that will enable
IPR holders to voluntarily declare the terms and
conditions attached to their IPR ahead of the
standardization of a new technology
11January 2007GSM Association Announced 2007
Global Mobile Awards Nominations
- Now in its 12th year, the Global Mobile Awards
program continues to grow with the industry that
it represents. Each year the number of
submissions increases, and this year was no
exception, with a remarkable 20 per cent more
entries than 2006.
- Each entry has been evaluated by the independent
judging panel of globally based wireless
analysts, journalists, academics and subject
experts all industry professionals with
in-depth knowledge of the mobile industry and its
applications and influences on todays world. - The Award winners would be announced at the
worlds largest mobile industry event, the 3GSM
World Congress in Barcelona
The standard and support for these Awards
continues to rise, once again exceeding our
expectations and reflecting the ability of the
mobile and entertainment industries to not only
impress but to genuinely surprise. Rob Conway
Chief Executive Officer, GSMA
12January 2007Bollywood Movies Go Mobile With
GSMA, Roamware Hungama Mobile Initiative
We are very excited by Roamware and Hungama
Mobiles' commitment to bring the spectacle of
Bollywood to mobile phones. Craig
Ehrlich Chairman, GSM Association
- Bollywood is going mobile in a big way. Roamware
and Hungama Mobile, have joined forces with the
GSM Association (GSMA) to announce the launch of
a 'Mobile Bollywood Initiative' to create short
movies tailored for mobile devices, taking the
world's largest film industry onto mobile devices
- GSMA, Hungama Mobile and Roamware have teamed up
with leading Bollywood film maker, Sanjay Gupta,
to premiere three Bollywood short movies for the
mobile medium. - Bollywood today is the world's largest movie
industry, producing more than 1,000 movies a year
with an audience of more than 2 billion viewers
across 127 countries
13February 2007ITU and GSMA Join Forces to Boost
Mobile Access in Developing Countries
- ITU and the GSM Association agreed to strengthen
cooperation towards improved access to mobile
phone services aimed especially at bridging the
digital divide in least developed and developing
countries.
I am very pleased to announce this agreement
with the GSM Association and I look forward to
the collaboration in developing wireless access
to connect the unconnected. Hamadoun Touré
Secretary General, ITU
- A Memorandum of Understanding was concluded
focusing on fostering the development of
information and communication technology (ICT)
infrastructure in least developed and developing
countries. - ITU and the GSM Association will focus on three
specific issues - Supporting Developing Market Projects for low
cost access to ICT in underserved areas - Industry Government Cooperation
- Global industry benchmarking
14February 2007GSMA Honors Indian Government for
Achievements in Mobile Communications
- GSMA presented its Government Leadership Award
2007 to India for exceptional achievement in the
field of mobile communications policy. - India has been selected because of its success in
establishing a framework of policies and
regulations, which have enabled and stimulated
the growth of mobile telecommunications over the
past three years.
- The Indian Government's policies have not only
helped revive, but also stimulate the country's
mobile industry. The Government has transformed
the policy and regulatory environment by - Relaxing rules on foreign direct investment (FDI)
- Reducing the access deficit charges payable by
mobile operators to the fixed line incumbents - Liberalizing the domestic and international long
distance markets - Facilitating the sharing of network
infrastructure - Simplifying and speeding the planning procedures
for new cell sites - Increasing the amount of commercially available
spectrum and - Securing spectrum for 3G in the IMT-2000 core
band - Stimulating telecommunications equipment
manufacturing
Without a doubt, the digital divide in India is
narrower today than ever and this is due in great
part to the foresight and vision of the Indian
government. Rob Conway Chief Executive Officer,
GSMA
15February 2007Phones For Health
- Phones for Health is a cutting-edge 10 million
public-private partnership working in close
collaboration to use the widespread and
increasing mobile phone coverage in the
developing world to strengthen health systems
- The Phones for Health partners are - the GSMAs
Development Fund, the U.S. President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief, Accenture Development
Partnerships, Motorola, MTN and Voxiva - Phones for Health will allow health workers in
the field to use a standard Motorola handset
equipped with a downloadable application to enter
health data. - Once entered, the data is transferred via a
packet based mobile connection (GPRS) into a
central database. - If GPRS isn't available, the software can use a
SMS data channel to transmit the information. - Data is mapped and analyzed by the system, and is
immediately available to health authorities at
multiple levels via the web. - The system also supports SMS alerting and other
tools for communication with field staff.
The Phone-for-Health Partnership is at once an
acknowledgement of the strength and depth of
mobile communications in emerging markets, as
well as the push to use technology to help solve
the serious health problems prevalent across the
globe. Phuthuma Nhleko MTN Group President and
CEO
16February 2007GSM Association Announced 2007
Global Mobile Awards Winners
- The 12th Annual GSM Association Global Mobile
Awards were announced at a spectacular event that
showcased the best of the mobile world.
- The two-phase evaluation and judging process were
carried out by some of the most distinguished,
independent journalists, analysts and academics
that focus on the mobile industry - The evaluation proved that the bar is being
raised ever higher in terms of competition and
differentiation.
Innovation is the life blood of any industry,
and even more so for mobile. Thus we must
continue to identify, support and recognize the
mobile innovators. Rob Conway Chief Executive
Officer, GSMA
17February 2007GSMA Chairman's Award 2007
Presented to Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim
This is a man who is in many ways the founding
father of African mobile communications, a
visionary wireless technician and mobile
businessman, whose commitment to both the
industry and the continent has helped the world
to hear Africa's voice. Craig Ehrlich Chairman,
GSM Association
- The GSMA Chairman's Award was presented to Dr
Mohamed 'Mo' Ibrahim, a remarkably successful
mobile entrepreneur, a pioneer of technical
achievement and a driving force in the industry's
efforts to connect the unconnected of Africa.
- Dr Ibrahim is the founder and chairman of Celtel
International, which operates in 15 African
countries. - He is a technical innovator who joined the
industry 22 years ago at the launch of the
world's first mobile network. - With more than 60 growth per year, Celtel today
has more than 17 million users, and is licensed
to serve more than one half of the continent's
population. - In October 2006, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation was
launched, with backing from world leaders
including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Bill
Clinton and Tony Blair. - The Foundation is a radical new initiative to
promote and recognize good governance and
leadership in Africa
18February 2007GSMA Study Shows Lowering Mobile
Taxes Boosts Usage and Fuels Growth
- Usage of mobile communications is a powerful
economic growth engine, which governments can
fuel by lowering taxes on mobile services and
handsets, according to a new study undertaken by
Deloitte for the GSM Association.
The impact that mobile phones have on the
developing world is as revolutionary as roads,
railways and ports, increasing social cohesion
and releasing the entrepreneurial spirit that
stimulates trade and creates jobs. Leonard
Waverman Professor, London Business School
- In a developing country, an increase of 10
percentage points in mobile penetration will lift
that country's annual economic growth rate by 1.2
percentage points - Despite the evident economic and social benefits
of mobile communications, 16 of the 101 countries
analyzed in the study tax mobile services or
handsets as if they are luxury goods rather than
a vital means of communications - In many cases, cutting taxes on mobile services
will lead to an increase in overall tax revenues
in the medium term because of the positive impact
on the economy
19March 2007 CSDC GSMA Team Up To Boost Telecoms
Training In Bangladesh
- Chittagong Skills Development Centre (CSDC) and
the Development Fund of the GSMA, have formed a
partnership to promote telecom skills development
in Bangladesh. - CSDC's members include the mobile operators Aktel
and GrameenPhone and equipment vendors
Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, Siemens and
ZTE.
- The Development Fund and the CSDC signed an
Agreement to develop the technical and marketing
competencies of Bangladesh's rapidly growing
telecom workforce. - The CSDC and the GSMA will work together to adapt
and deploy international telecommunications
training, best practices and knowledge to produce
a highly skilled, Bangladeshi workforce, able to
keep pace with the rapid market growth, as well
as technology and product innovation. - The Agreement will also help develop a local pool
of skilled trainers, equipped with the necessary
teaching and learning methodologies to develop
and deliver programs to the expanding workforce
Our long-term objective is to cultivate an
indigenous knowledge base that enhances
employment opportunities and meets the telecoms
sector's skill requirements. Ben
Soppitt Director, GSMAs Development Fund
20THANK YOU