Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) announced it joined the GSM Association to become the first social networking firm to join GSMA.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s announcement to join GSMA signals its intention to be more deeply involved in not only mobile devices but the standards and policy issues facing wireless carriers and vendors. GSMA is the global body of major wireless operators, developers and mobile companies.
Facebook to play active role
In a statement to FierceWireless, Dan Rose, Vice President of Partnerships at Facebook revealed joining GSMA reflects Facebook’s focus on mobile and its continued desire to work closely and collaboratively with partners in the industry. Facebook expects to play an active role as a member of GSMA.
Phil Goldstein of FierceWireless says Facebook’s membership with GSMA could signal that the social networking firm will become more involved at Mobile World Congress, the GSMA’s annual trade show held at Barcelona. Several social networking companies’ executives such as Dennis Crowley of Foursquare have addressed the Mobile World Congress.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is not a member of CTIA or any other wireless trade organization.
However, some of the leading vendors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Samsung are already members of the GSMA.
Facebook’s mobile thrust
Recently, analysts note Facebook management is an expert in capitalizing on new mobile monetization opportunities without compromising on engagement. Last month, Facebook revealed that it launched ads on Instagram. Analysts believe ads on Instagram are a positive largely expected by the market and the company holds expertise in achieving balance between the user experience and advertiser’s demand of rolling out ads in the news feed on mobile.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has repeatedly stressed the importance that mobile will play in its business moving forward. Its recent results revealed that more users than ever are turning to mobile devices to use the social network. For instance, in Q3, Facebook clocked 874 million mobile monthly active users, which was up 45 percent over the same period last year.
In August, Facebook forged a partnership with industry heavyweights with Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera Software, Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics to launch Internet.org, a coalition dedicated to expanding online access via mobile.
Derick Mains, a spokesperson for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), revealed that the biggest benefit of joining GSMA is it would ensure Facebook’s continued tight alignment with operators worldwide and the issues they care most about. He said understanding the issues facing operators across regions is not only important to Facebook but to the efforts of Internet.org.
