History of GSM

The Story

Trace the story of GSM from the search for shared European radio frequencies to the decisions that made a common mobile system possible.

Begin the story →

Early mobile handsets and GSM documents in the Science Museum display

The Timeline

Follow mobile communications generation by generation, from GSM and 2G through 3G, 4G and 5G, and towards the possibilities of 6G.

Explore the timeline →

Officials at the Bonn ministerial declaration

Who created GSM

GSM was the achievement of people working across governments, industry and international organisations. Discover the individuals and contributions behind its creation.

Meet the people →

The fathers of SMS

Discover the people and decisions behind text messaging, one of the most influential services to emerge from mobile communications.

The story of SMS →

Gerry Whent and Chris Gent, driving forces of Vodafone’s success

The Secret of GSM Success

Why did GSM succeed where later generations struggled? Look beyond the technology to the people, commercial choices and regulatory decisions that made the difference.

Why GSM succeeded →

Ernie Wise making an early mobile telephone call

What if GSM never happened?

Pagers, cordless phones, satellite networks and a patchwork of competing standards. Stephen Temple imagines how mobile communications might have developed if GSM had never happened.

An alternative history →