You may have heard that Facebook is losing its edge, thanks to the many social networking sites popping up all over the place. We have Google Plus, Twitter, Instagram and many more social networking sites that have become more easily accessible via our smartphones. In an attempt to regain their edge, Facebook has become a member of the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA).
The GSMA was formed back in 1982 by the Confederation of European Posts and Telecommunications. The purpose of the GSMA was to help design and better mobile technology across Europe. Since then they have grown into something much bigger and better, with offices and control in countries worldwide, including the US. The GSMA has only grown with mobile technology and popularity, so to be a member, can only mean big things for a company. Especially a social network, teetering on the edge of the cliff that is popularity.
What does this mean for Facebook? Well, one major opportunity they will get, is at Mobile World Congress(MWC). MWC is an annual event that is run by the GSMA, and is where techies from all over the world watch in amazement at what the mobile world will be offering over the next year. Every company has an opportunity to speak to the masses with a worldwide audience usually watching over live streams, and blogs, and social networks don’t usually speak too much. Though in the past we have seen some, Facebook never really played a starring role, well that may change. A spokesman for Facebook, Derick Mains told Fierce Wireless about the perks to joining the GSMA:
It ensures our continued tight alignment with operators worldwide and the issues they care most about. The broad reach of GSMA and its members along with the wide organizational footprint are also benefits to Facebook. Understanding the issues facing operators (and the industry as a whole) across regions is not only important to Facebook but to the efforts of Internet.org.
Another opportunity Facebook will have after joining the GSMA, involves their coalition of tech giants trying to make a better internet for us all. The coalition is better known as Internet.org, and it consists of Samsung Electronics, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson and Opera Software. They have banded together to fight for a more democratic internet experience in small, but growing, markets. Along with the membership to the GSMA, this will be more exposure for the Internet.org project as well as access to more companies that may want to join the coalition. It’s as if Facebook now has the direct phone numbers to all the big tech companies around the world, and can call them directly with a sales pitch, figuratively speaking of course. As we said, Facebook needs to get its edge back, and all of this will help greatly.
Facebook users have backed away from their computers and laptops, and have become more of mobile users. Recently, Facebooks numbers showed that in the US, 78% of their users are accessing the site from their smartphones and mobile devices. That is huge, and is where most of Facebook’s income will be made. Which is probably the reason why they are trying to gain their footing in the mobile world, and leave their print more predominantly.