GSM marks 20th anniversary
CNN's Emily Chang reports on the anniversary of the Global System for mobile communications.

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"Any time! Anywhere! Decades ago there was no such thing" --"Communication”.

Then, September 7th 1987, the global system for mobile communication or GSM was born. And international agreement that laid out the standards, regulations and practices that will give rise to a global mobile phone industry.

To be fair, the world's first mobiles were not so sexy and the range of effectiveness wasn't very good. But they became a must-have among those who could afford that.

“Today, by virtue of GSM which has many different elements to it, as we can all enjoy the ability to go around the world in 217 countries, land in that country and know that a phone would work.”

There are other cell phone systems using different technology in the world. The majority of the United States and parts of Asia have been using something called CDMA which is very rare in Europe.

But the GSM Association claims 85% of the global mobile phone market. They estimated there are now about 2.5 billion different users who make more than 7 trillion minutes of calls everyday, and that's not all.

20 years later, the mobile phone is so much more than just a phone. You can use it to send text messages, take pictures, show video, even surf the internet.

“The phone itself is involved from just being a communication tool, to be a tool for 24/7 connectivity, you can not live without it.”

Mobile consultant NICK LANE also points out with so many customized styles and features, your mobile phone has become a manifestation of, well, you.

'It's part of life, so it is an extension of every person, to be honest. '

“I'm calling you. I'm calling you.”

Where will the global mobile phone industry be in another 20 years? Certainly, there will be more connections than better coverage. As for where else technology will take us, one can only imagine.

Emily Chang, CNN.

(by change11)

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