“The first GSM network was built by Telenokia and Siemens , today’s Nokia Siemens Networks  for the Finnish operator Radiolinja, now operating under the name Elisa,” Nokia Siemens says. GSM  today an acronym for Global System for Mobile communications.
GSM service gave cell services a few firsts such as the first fully digital cellular system to use TDMA to use a lot more information with less spectrum, which  gave us better sound quality and better overall calls using less power to do it.  GSM also gave us the usage of the  SIM (subscriber Identity Module) card, which enable phone users to switch phones at will and having access to international roaming. GSM was also the first  service to provide Short Messaging Service better known as SMS or texting which allowed phone users to send quick messages on the go.
Here is a quick history lesson on GSM and Nokia
Nokia is a prime mover in digital standards
On July 1, 1991, Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri made the world’s first GSM call, using Nokia equipment.
It was an appropriate choice. From the start, Nokia was one of the key developers of GSM technology. Its expertise in the new standard, coupled with the deregulation of European telecommunications markets in the 1980s and 1990s, was to be the cornerstone of its international success.
What is GSM?
The Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) was adopted in 1987 as the European standard for digital mobile technology. This second generation mobile technology could carry data as well as voice traffic.
GSM’s high-quality voice calls, easy international roaming and support for new services like text messaging (SMS) laid the foundations for a worldwide boom in mobile phone use.
Nokia was in the vanguard of GSM’s development, delivering its first GSM network to the Finnish company Radiolinja in 1989. Nokia launched its first digital handheld GSM phone, the Nokia 1011, in 1992.
By the end of the 1990s, Nokia had supplied GSM systems to more than 90 operators all over the world.
Did you know?
Nokia was the first manufacturer to make a series of handheld portable phones for all major digital standards, including TDMA, PCN and Japan Digital, as well as GSM.
