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20 Years of GSM and SMS

Posted by timothy on from the grudgingly-admit-sms-is-useful dept.

udas writes "Two thirds of the world's population, 4 billion people, use cell phones today, and all of them have access to SMS. Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSM), set up in 1982, created the GSM standard, leading to a unified, open, standard-based mobile network. SMS, up to 160 7-bit character messages sent over control channels (when they aren't busy), was part of the original GSM specification itself. The first GSM handsts were approved for sale in May 1992. But it was not until 1996, when pay-as-you-go SIM cards showed up, and the kids got their hands on it, that SMS gained popularity."

2 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Re:all on GSM? by Hian+Bosu · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not really, most developing countries bypass the entire analogue mobile stage and go straight to digital.

  2. Re:all on GSM? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    GSM is nearly ubiquitous in developing countries. I've been to a significant number of 3rd world (and 2nd) and GSM has been the prevailing standard with an occasional CDMA set showing up.