GSM Asia Pacific

Cebu, April, 14th, 2008: Changing phases of mobile telephony will be buzzing throughout the Asia Pacific literally between April 14 and 16 when picturesque Cebu city in the Philippines hosts the 28th GSM Asia Pacific Conference and Exhibition.

Organised by the Asia Pacific Interest Group of the GSM Association – the GSMAP in partnership with Smart Communications Inc, Philippines, the Conference and Exhibition is  one of the  most influential gathering of the mobile telecom industry in the region.

Attracting nearly 150 delegates from over 70 GSM operators in 49 countries, the conference during its 2 days will focus on a host of key issues that will shape the future of the mobile telecom industry.

“The Asia Pacific is the biggest region for the GSM technologies with 1.1 billion subscribers or 40% of the world total as at end of fourth quarter 2007.  Given this stature and the velocity of growth coupled with emerging challenges we have decided to focus on the theme ‘Attuning to the changing phases of mobile telephony’ at this year’s conference and exhibition,” GSM Asia Pacific Chair Ms. Anoja J Obeyesekere said.

In line with this theme,  key trends impacting the mobile sector namely Fixed, Mobile and Internet service convergence, Mobile Broadband evolution through 3GSM and HSPA technologies and Mobile Communication as the “fourth medium” are set to play centre stage at Asia Pacific operator deliberations, technical sessions and the exhibition that will run in parallel to the conference, she added.

The conference host, Smart Communications Inc Chief Wireless Advisor  Mr Orlando B Vea  said top professionals and executives from leading equipment, solutions and service providers will share their expertise through comprehensive presentations/demonstrations alongside industry experts from the GSMA and member operators.

We are entering an era where wireless mobile broadband is becoming increasingly pervasive. This trend is opening exciting new possibilities for new services with richer capabilities and new businesses with tantalizing possibilities, he added.

Following the ceremonial opening of the exhibition on April 14 at 9.00 a.m. at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, the conference proper will kick off on April 14 with the session one taking on the main theme. Thereafter the session two will focus on “Tomorrow’s Roaming Business Models” followed by “Trends and Developments in Roaming in the Asian Mobile Market” in the third session.

The final day sessions will focus on the initiatives of GSMA that require mandatory compliance by operators such as   Near Real Time Roaming Data Exchange Project (NRTRDE)  and Roaming Agreement Exchange (RAEX) . Post lunch the GSMAP Thereafter the ‘Operator Only Session” will be held followed by the closing ceremony involving cultural show and dinner.

More specifically there will be dedicated to presentations by experts from diverse fields providing critical insights inter alia on:

• Asia’s Next Technology Roadmap - Building a Mobile Broadband Business
• Mobile Advertising the Fourth Revenue Stream
• Advent of Pay By Mobile – The Single System that can Support M-Payments on a Global Scale
• Mobile Alliance against Child Sexual Abuse Content
• The Challenges relating to new Content Management Business Models
• Open Connectivity Roaming Model
• Roaming Hubbing
• Benefits and Services offered by an OC Roaming Model
• Critical Analysis of the Current Developments and Trends in the Asian Mobile Roaming Market
  Global Roaming Quality
• Why Embrace the Next Generation Business Models in Roaming?
• Guidelines to Implementation and Progress Update on NRTRDE
• RAEX (Roaming Agreement EXchange)
• Critical Analysis of the Resultant Impact of EU Roaming Regulation on Asian Roaming Mark

For the updated conference program please visit www.gsmap.org

The linked site www.gsmapblog.com will feature live updates of text, photo and video from the conference. This site will use the latest blogging technology and third party services to bring the conference experience to participants worldwide.

The two day exhibition will feature GSM products, services and added value offerings.

GSMAP covers over 136 operators in 49 countries/areas in Asia Pacific and serves over 1.1 Billion Subscribers. The Asia Pacific Interest Group spans the Pacific rim, Australia/New Zealand, China and South East Asian countries.

GSMA is positioning mobile communications as the most effective means of bridging the digital divide and promoting social inclusion prevalent in the emerging markets. Accordingly the goal of connecting the unconnected remains a key and a very realistic ongoing priority for the GSMA and its members.

The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association’s members serve more than two billion customers - 82% of the world’s mobile phone users.