Bangkok--17 Dec--Farh Agency Thailand, Vietnam, India and other developing economies in Asia would benefit greatly from the deployment of Mobile Broadband (HSPA) services, according to the GSMA, the global trade association for the mobile industry. Governments in the region should license the 2.1GHz band to enable mobile operators to rollout Mobile Broadband networks so that consumers and businesses can enjoy high-speed Internet access and advanced multimedia services on mobile handsets and computers. The GSMA believes that Mobile Broadband services can boost economic growth and create jobs by closing the digital divide between those who have high-speed Internet access today and those who don’t. Mobile Broadband networks in developing countries are used for a wide variety of business and personal purposes, from accessing health and agricultural information to using government services to video conferencing with relatives overseas. While it is often prohibitively expensive for service providers to install new fixed-lines, the cost of Mobile Broadband access devices is falling steadily as manufacturers gain economies of scale. There are now 154 commercial HSPA networks in 71 countries and most of them operate in the 2.1GHz frequency band. Moreover, there will be more than 12 million HSPA connections worldwide by the end of this year and more than 43 million by the end of 2008, according to Wireless Intelligence. "Mobile phones have brought voice communications to hundreds of millions of Asians not served by fixed-lines," said Ricardo Tavares, Senior Vice President, Public Policy at the GSMA. “Now is the time to use mobile technology to also give these people high-speed access to the Internet and other multimedia services, which will enable them to boost their productivity and improve their quality of life.” About the GSMA: The GSMA (The GSM Association) is the global trade association for the mobile industry, representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world in addition to more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers that support the Association's initiatives as key partners. 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 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone users. For the GSM Association: Farh Agency: Mark Smith or David Pringle Ms. Voraparn Eua-arporn (coco) Email: [email protected] Email; [email protected] Tel: 0 2616 0991-2, Fax: 0 2616 0993 MB: 08 91444 014