SOCIAL ASPECTS OF MOBILE TELECOMUNICATION

The Telecommunication Industry is experiencing rapid growth on a global scale. This is a direct consequence of technological development. Within this sector, one of the greatest areas of recent years has been the development of mobile or wireless telecommunications.
The significant expansion of services offered to the general public, including the introduction of mobile phones, began in the mid-1980s. At that time initial market penetration was modest, but the advent of the more advanced GSM technology, led to continuing growth in the number of subscribers throughout the 1990s and it is now predicted that within a few years mobile telecommunications will become the dominant technology for telephony and other applications such as Internet access.

Initially companies such as Telecom and Vodafone launched national networks based on analogue technology, but in the late 1980s there was a move to develop standards for a second generation of mobile telecommunications throughout Europe.
This was achieved with the development of a new operating standard called the Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM), which employs digital technology.
Although this system is now used worldwide, the European geographical area is still the dominant user. It has, however, been widely accepted in other areas such as the Asia Pacific region.

In Europe the greatest market penetration has occurred in the Scandinavian countries and in Finland is approaching 60%.

The Third Generation of Mobile Phones employs a new operating standard called UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and enables operators to offer a full range of multimedia services.
They offer Internet access and e.mail service, excellent sound and entertainment features, hands free speaker, SMS with sound and pictures as well as a high resolution graphical display, a built-in modem, a calculator with currency converter, an organizer, a phone book with hundreds of entries, recordable ringer tones, a high selection of available colours.
The latest models represent the ideal full communication device the young generation of today's fast moving lifestyle. They can offer everything you want, from access to your favorite tunes to effortless messaging - right at your fingertips.
So they play downloaded files when you are on the move and the FM Radio keeps you in touch with the best channels wherever you are. You can even listen to the Music Player or FM Radio while you are playing games or sending messages, and you can send messages almost as fast as you can think them.
To attract large sectors of market, they are sophisticated and stylish without being complicated; well balanced for personal and professional use, some of them even offer an electronic wallet for mobile commerce or an integrated digital camera for taking and sending pictures as well as a photo album for storing pictures and a Multimedia Messaging Service.