GSM Association signs up for eCall roll-out

09 Sep 2009

BRUSSELS, The GSMA, the body representing the worldwide mobile communications industry, signed EU's Memorandum of Understanding to implement eCall across Europe.

Rolling out eCall requires close cooperation between public authorities, car companies and mobile phone operators and could save up to 2,500 lives each year in the EU when fully deployed and reduce the severity of injuries by 10% to 15%.

Rob Conway, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of the GSMA visited the offices of Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the mobile communications industry.

"eCall is  hugely beneficial and logical step forward in EU policy-makers' attempts to reduce fatalities on European roads. The GSMA fully supports the European Commission's MoU and, by becoming a signatory, we are formalising our members' commitment to participate with other stakeholders in deploying the eCall service," said Rob Conway.

Spanning 219 countries, the GSM Association unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators and more than 200 companies, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, and media and entertainment organizations.