Celebrating 20 Years of Global Mobile Communications...

The GSMA's 13th Global Mobile Awards begins with our official call for entries today and culminates in a night of celebration with our winners taking to the stage of Barcelona's spectacular National Palace on Tuesday February 12th 2008. The awards are all the more poignant this year, as the GSMA celebrates 20 years of Global Mobile Communications!

These awards are now an established centre-piece of the world's largest and most successful mobile industry event, the Mobile World Congress - formerly the 3GSM World Congress - which takes place in Barcelona from the 11-15 February 2008.

These awards celebrate the highest achievements across an industry that has achieved so much over 20 years, and the categories for 2008 have been specially designed to recognize the wealth of ingenuity and creativity from all corners of the mobile industry's global eco-system that contribute to the continued success and growth of the mobile world.

Encompassing Innovation, Mobile Entertainment, Mobile Services, Handsets and Devices as well as Technical categories among others, our awards scheme also affords a celebration of yet another year of fast pace growth and progress.

The spirit of the industry in terms of its social and economic contribution is captured in the 'Bridging the Digital Divide' Award, created to demonstrate and the unique role of mobile communications today in connecting people, communities and nations, and driving the social and economic fabric of countries throughout the world.

The Mobile Innovation awards category is part of our recently launched Mobile Innovation Program, a global initiative tied to our awards program that provides a unique showcase of the tremendous range of innovation that exists in the mobile world - from products, services and applications to technologies from the generators of great ideas notably small and medium sized companies that represent the lifeblood of our industry's future.

The awards also showcase yet another new facet of mobile, as the new entertainment medium of our era. Mobile Entertainment categories include Gaming, Music, Video and this year Mobile Social Networking and Infotainment Portals.

These prestigious Awards - the 'Oscars' of an industry that serves a third of the world's population - represent a stage for all players in the mobile world to attract the attention of their peers and the global media in and around our international community. They also provide opportunities to thank customers, employees, partners and investors. Now there's just a few reasons for entering!

The awards ceremony in 2008, will be a glittering night once again, and I can think of no better way of celebrating 20 years of global mobile communications than joining us in Barcelona.

May I wish you the best of luck with your entry!

Rob Conway
CEO
GSM Association