By this weekend, GSM mobile phones will be used by more than two billion people worldwide. The number is almost twice as many as the estimated number of users connected to the Internet.

The second billion has taken just two and a half years to achieve. GSM operators signup approximately 1,000 new users every minute.

GSM is now used in 213 countries and territories, with high demand in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Of the second billion GSM connections, 82% are in the developing world. China is the world's largest GSM market followed by Russia, India and the U.S..

It is estimated that GSM users now send one trillion text messages each year, and in China the sales of music via mobile phones outstrip sales of music CDs.