On Monday, Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) joined the GSMA, Facebooks first and so far only membership in a wireless trade organization. No other social networking company is currently a member of the GSMA. Does this mean we should expect other Internet companies with major mobile presence or ambitions to follow suit? Id say probably. It seems logical that they would, if one thinks about why Facebook joined the GSMA in the first place, which, according to analysts I spoke with, was largely a business development move. Facebook realizes its future is in mobile and it wants a seat at the table. Dan Rose, vice president of partnerships at Facebook, gave the official line, explaining that Facebook joining the GSMA reflects our focus on mobile and our continued desire to work closely and collaboratively with partners in the industry, and we look forward to playing an active role as a member. Its getting in on the ground floor, 556 Ventures analyst William Ho said. They know that mobile is the core business in the future. Any so any influence or any insight into the goings-on or how to shape the industry is beneficial. Joining the GSMA fits with Facebooks larger mission of getting people online and using its service (so it can sell them ads). For example, in August Facebook forged a partnership with industry heavyweights Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia (NYSE:NOK), Opera Software, Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) and Samsung Electronics to launch Internet.org, a coalition dedicated to expanding online access via mobile. Facebook, in the end, has the same goal as the wireless carriers: connect every human being. And so I think the goals are pretty congruent, said Recon Analytics analyst (and FierceWireless contributor) Roger Entner. Facebook is a unique social networking and Internet phenomenon. The company said it had 874 million mobile monthly active users as of Sept. 30, an increase of 45 percent year-over-year. Mobile daily active were 507 million on average for September 2013.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 05:54:27 +0000