The mass market for mobile in the UK - Part 2: Mobile becomes a major market force

From 1985 to 1995, the number of mobile users in the UK rose from around 15 000 to close on 5 million. Part I of this article, The Birth of a Market, focused on the early development of the market in that period. In Part 2, we track the development of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) as a major market force, up to the introduction of the 'third-generation' (3G) mobile systems and their potential impact, and highlight the factors that caused this growth. In the 'GSM era', from 1906 to 2005, the previously impressive market total was boosted to a staggering 60 million, and the whole market was transformed. The key factors enabling this change are discussed here.