(GSM) One of the major standards for digital mobile communications. In 1982, the Groupe Speciale Mobile was formed by the Confederation of European Posts and Telecommunications (CEPT) to design a pan-European mobile technology. GSM was named after the "Groupe de travail Spéciale pour les services Mobiles" group of CEPT that wrote the first GSM specifications. By 2011, GSM was in use in over 60 countries and serving over six billion subscribers. The GSM standard uses the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. GPRS allows packet switched data communications over GSM, and is widely used for web and electronic mail access from mobile devices.