The industry body representing the interests of mobile operators worldwide, GSMA (GSM Association) has elected Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises as its Chairman.
Airtel chief Sunil Mittal will be in charge of GSMA for a period of two-year starting from January 2017 through December 2018. He will represent nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.
“I am delighted to be elected as Chairman of the GSMA, and look forward to working closely with the rest of the Board, the GSMA leadership team and our entire membership to address the critical issues facing our industry and our customers” said Mittal. “I am excited about what the next chapter holds for us, as we work to connect everyone and everything to a better future. In my new global role, I am also excited to support the ongoing mobile broadband revolution in India to boost the Government’s Digital India Program and its vision of broadband access for all,” he added.
Sunil Mittal earlier this year took over as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He also serves on the boards and councils of several reputed international bodies and think-tanks like the World Economic Forum (WEF), Telecom Board of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Broadband Commission to name few.
It is the first time an Indian elected to the chair of GSMA. The GSMA also elected new members to the 26 members board. This also includes 25 operator representatives from the world’s largest operator groups as well as smaller, independent operators with global representation.