US : Net additions of more than 13.5 million users, representing an annual growth rate of more than 500%, confirmed that 3GSM took-off during 2004.

At the year-end, 60 operators in 30 countries were offering 3GSM services. The global 3GSM customer base is fast approaching 20 million today. 3GSM is now the world's most widely used broadband 3G mobile system and has already been commercially launched by operators in Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

3GSM was conceived to build on GSM’s heritage and preserve the user and operator benefits of seamless global services. It’s efficiency delivers extra capacity to accommodate continuing growth in demand for voice services while its enhanced data performance creates the platform for the convergence of the mobile and internet worlds.

Inter-operability at the network level, combined with the general availability of dual-mode handsets, allows “green-field” 3GSM operators to connect into the global community of 650+ 3GSM and 3GSM operators, enhancing the international roaming services they can offer their customers, as demonstrated by the GSM Association’s Japanese members.

The 13.5 million 3GSM net adds, combined with GSM’s growth of more than 270 million users, helped the GSM family take 90% of global mobile growth in 2004.

Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association and Member of its Board said: “3GSM promised to add an exciting new dimension to mobile services and is now delivering against that promise. It’s here, it’s now and it’s robust.”

While operators have been deploying their networks and preparing to launch, the GSM Association has been actively building the foundations for the long term success of 3GSM.

Data roaming is now a reality, as demonstrated by the growing penetration of data cards and devices such as the Blackberry among international business travellers. GSMA’s billing principles now support data and MMS roaming across GPRS, EDGE and 3GSM.

The GSMA has also led an initiative to ensure the quality and interoperability of new multimedia services by proving the technical interoperability of equipment and the practical network interconnection for SIP-based services such as instant messaging, push-to-talk-over-cellular, video telephony and multiplayer games. (See GSMA press release: GSMA Trials prove interoperability of IP Multimedia Messaging)

Integrated Messaging is a new solution for mobile users that builds on existing messaging services and interoperability to create an integrated user experience for SMS, MMS and mobile email that is intuitive and easy to use and will help drive richer messaging services into the mass market. (See GSMA press release: Mobile Industry aligns with Integrated Messaging)

The recently announced extension of GCF-testing to 3GSM terminals is another important step forward that will reduce inter-operability testing costs for operators and their vendor partners alike. It will also shorten time-to-market for new 3GSM terminals and ultimately reduce costs to users.

GCF-certification confirms that terminals have been tested to an agreed and continuously-updated suite of validated test cases based upon criteria developed by the global standards-making community.

“3GSM has now reached the critical mass required to catalyse a boom in the development of new, innovate broadband mobile data and multimedia services,” says Conway. “As demand for broadband mobile data services grows, further performance enhancements based on international standards are already on the horizon, initially through HSDPA, and subsequently through HSUPA.”