GSM
standard to describe protocols for second generation digital cellular networks used by mobile phones
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and mobile broadband modems. GSM is also a trademark owned by the GSM Association. "GSM" may also refer to the voice codec initially used in GSM.
2G networks were developed as a replacement for first generation (1G) analog cellular networks. The original GSM standard, which was developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), originally described a digital, circuit-switched network optimized for full duplex voice telephony, employing time division multiple access (TDMA) between stations. This expanded over time to include data communications, first by circuit-switched transport, then by packet data transport via its upgraded standards, GPRS and then EDGE. GSM exists in various versions based on the frequency bands used.
GSM was first implemented in Finland in December 1991. It became the global standard for mobile cellular communications, with over 2 billion GSM subscribers globally in 2006, far above its competing standard, CDMA. Its share reached over 90% market share by the mid-2010s, and operating in over 219 countries and territories. The specifications and maintenance of GSM passed over to the 3GPP body in 2000, which at the time developed third-generation (3G) UMTS standards, followed by the fourth-generation (4G) LTE Advanced and the fifth-generation 5G standards, which do not form part of the GSM standard. Beginning in the late 2010s, various carriers worldwide started to shut down their GSM networks; nevertheless, as a result of the network's widespread use, the acronym "GSM" is still used as a generic term for the plethora of G mobile phone technologies evolved from it or mobile phones itself.
History
Initial European development
In 1983, work began to develop a European standard for digital cellular voice telecommunications when the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) set up the Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSM) committee and later provided a permanent technical-support group based in Paris.
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The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q46904. The Library of Congress control number is sh96011791. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1991, 2006, 2000 and 1983.
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