CHICAGO-In the second quarter of this year, more than 660,000 U.S. and Canadian customers signed up for Global System for Mobile communications wireless service, reported the North American GSM Alliance L.L.C.
“This brings the total of GSM customers in North America to 4.2 million,” said Bob Stapleton, chairman of the North American GSM Alliance and president of VoiceStream Wireless. “This reflects an increase of more than double the number of customers from a year ago. By the end of 1999, we could reach 6 million GSM customers in North America.”
GSM service providers in North America offer commercial service in nearly 4,000 cities and towns in 46 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, said Stapleton.
“In the first six months of 1999, GSM Alliance companies in the U.S. and Canada added 1.2 million new customers-the equivalent of adding five new customers a minute,” Stapleton said. “With about 180 million GSM customers in the world, and 4.2 million GSM customers in North America, GSM remains the world’s overwhelming choice for digital wireless service.”
Globally, GSM customers now equal about 50 percent of the entire world wireless market, and two-thirds of the global digital market, said the GSM Alliance.
The North American GSM Alliance represents the interests of 347 GSM, satellite and third-generation network operators, regulators and administrative bodies.
