Market Penetration
Talks, discussions and parternships regarding emerging market were not left behind at the congress. A study undertaken by Deloitte for the GSMA reveled that governments of developing countries can fuel economic growth by lowering taxes on mobile services and handsets. The study highlighted that in a developing country, an increase of 10% mobile penetration will lift that country's annual economic growth rate by 1.2%. That represents a major uplift, if the proportion of people with a mobile phone in an economy growing at 4% a year, rises from 10-20%. The study also pointed out that 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 East African countries, for example, taxes generally account for between 25% and 30% of the total cost of owning a mobile phone compared with a global average of 17.4%. In Turkey, 44% of the cost of owning a mobile phone is due to taxes.

A pilot program aimed at tapping the ubiquity and ease-of-use of mobile communications to enable the world's 200 mn international migrant workers to easily, securely and cost-effectively send remittances to their dependents by exploiting the extensive reach of the mobile networks, was also launched by GSMA. It is setting up a pilot with MasterCard Worldwide. This project would be spearheaded by a special group of 19 mobile operators with networks in over 100 countries and representing over 600 mn customers.

Commenting on being a partner in this pilot project OP Bhat, chairman, SBI, said, "We are happy to partner with the GSMA in this landmark project. We piloted a project in a small Himalayan village of Pithoragarh in India with Airtel and have seen the tremendous results in this unbanked village. This project has the potential of transforming the lives and economies across the globe."

Social Responsibility
The social responsibility aspect of GSMA members was not neglected at the event. An appreciable partnership between leading players in the mobile phone industry and the US government at the congress to address HIV/AIDS and other health challenges in 10 African countries was a welcome step. Phone for health was the outcome of the partnership. A cutting-edge $10 mn public-private partnership would bring together mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers and technology companies, and Ministries of Health, global health organizations, and other partners to strengthen health systems. The partnership 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 GPRS into a central database.

GSMA Awards
In the congress, the 12th Annual GSM Association Global Mobile Awards were also announced at a spectacular event that showcased the best of the mobile world.

Hosted by the inimitable presenter, commentator and comedian Clive Anderson, the gala night at Barcelona's National Palace was a celebration of the new creative forces in mobile from around the globe. The stars of the night were the 2007 Global Mobile Awards winners, whose achievements provide an insight into the services, devices and innovation that are taking the mobile industry forward. The two-phase evaluation and judging process, carried out by some of the most distinguished, independent journalists, analysts and mobile industry academics, proved that the bar is being raised ever higher in terms of competition and differentiation.

Rob Conway, GSMA CEO, said: "The Global Mobile Awards provide a tantalising view of the future of our industry. We had a record number of applications for this year's awards. In fact, we had 600 submissions spanning a breadth and depth that is truly amazing, reflecting the new era of mobile." He further added, "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."

GSMA presented Government Leadership Award 2007 to India for exceptional achievement in the field of mobile communications policy. The award was presented to Dayanidhi Maran, union minister for Communications and Information Technology, by Rob Conway, CEO and board member of the GSMA.

Commenting on the award Maran said, "It is an honor to accept this award from the GSMA. India has put great effort into reforming its policies related to mobile communications and the private sector has responded positively to the policy and regulatory environment created by the government."

In recognition of outstanding achievement in supporting the growth and vitality of the global mobile community, GSMA chairman, Craig Ehrlich presented the highest annual award to Dr Mohamed 'Mo' Ibrahim, the founder and chairman of Celtel International. Dr Ibrahim is a technical innovator who joined the industry 22 years ago at the launch of the world's first mobile network. More than 18 years ago he founded Mobile Systems International (MSI), a company that developed the software to help operators manage and plan their use of radio spectrum.

Ubiquity and Tech Mahindra in Barcelona teamed on the development and delivery of solutions based on Ubiquity's award-winning SIP Application Server (SIP A/S) and SIP SOA development framework products.

Bollywood Mobile Initiative
The world's largest film industry was not left behind at the conference. It joined forces with the global mobile communications world in a spectacular fashion, as Bollywood premiered its first feature film for mobile viewers at the congress. Roamware, Hungama Mobile, Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta, and GSMA drove the Bollywood Mobile Initiative. Two Bollywood short films Zahir and Matriomony were premiered in Barcelona.

Second time in a row Idea's CARE, an SMS based self-service solution, bagged best billing or customer care award. CARE is an SMS based application, which the user initiates by sending a simple keyword CARE to 4444.

A good number of the attendees at the congress wanted to utilize the prospect provided by the 3GSM conference to expand their business and explore new ventures.

Sandeep Budki
sandeepb@cybermedia.co.in