In Europe, The Nordic Mobile Telepohone (NMT) was the first generally successful cellular system that automated the calling process and allowed for international roaming. The system was established in early 1980s in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Since it was standardized system, one could use tghe same teephony across whole region. Nonetheless it was still a parochial system. It was incompatible with the Total Access Communication System (TACS) in UK, the radio Telephone Mobile System in Italy, Radiocom in France and number system used in othe countries. Because of this incompatibility, in the late 1980s the Europen public telephone networks operators, in conjunction with Eruropean Community and the Europeasn Telecommunication Standard Institute(ETSI), started the development of the GSM. This digitally based standard has come allow for international roaming, is backward compatible wiith other system, aloows for various international roaming , is backward compatible with other system, aloow for various tariff system and includes as the much-maligned Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and the much as the much maligned Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and much-adulated Short Message System(SMS). In addition , it includes items such as called ID, call waiting and voice mail.Thus , according to the International telecommunication Uniton (ITU), as 2003 almost 69% of all mobile telephone subscribers in the worlds were using GSM system. Teh various other standards make uo less than one0thrids of all subscribers.At about the same time that GSM standard was being commercialized, handset manufactures were radically reducing the size and wight of mobile telephne terminals. Functionally develop to include this suck as WAP, SMS ,call logs , overview of appoinment and contacts. The terminal included color screen , gaming functions and the capabilities to download ringing sounds, wallpapers and to shift the covers. Battery capacity increased and still other function have appeared, such as cordless microphones /earphones and integrated cameras.
