GSM makes phones universal

The first GSM call was made in Finland in 1991; a shared European standard for digital mobile telephony spread worldwide, with SMS as an afterthought.

Why it matters

Standardization plus SIM cards made phones portable across borders and operators — connectivity became personal infrastructure. By 2020 there were more mobile subscriptions than people.

Threads

This event sits on Communication.

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Sources

• GSMA — A brief history of GSM