Mobile Industry Body GSMA Names Tele2 CEO As New Director General

Tele2 CEO Mats Granryd is to become the Director General of mobile industry body the GSMA from 1 January, succeeding Anne Bouverot who announced she would be leaving the organisation in March.

Granryd has been chief at Tele2 for five years and before that spent 15 years at network equipment manufacturer Ericsson.

“I’m proud and honoured to be joining the GSMA at such an exciting time in the industry’s development,” said Mats Granryd. “We have made tremendous progress in our industry’s relatively short lifetime, but we have significant opportunities ahead of us as we look to not only connect the unconnected, but also deliver a vast range of new technologies, products and services that will improve our lives and allow us to engage more effectively with our environments.”

Representing mobile

The GSMA represents more than 800 mobile operators around the world, as well as 250 other device manufacturers, software developers and equipment makers.

One of its current aims is to secure enough spectrum for the industry for the development of current generation networks as well as future developments like 5G.

It claims a third of the world will covered by 4G by the end of the year and is petitioning national governments to ensure certain bands are reserved for mobile at this year’s World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-15), organised by the UN-affiliated International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

“I am very pleased to welcome Mats Granryd as the GSMA’s new Director General,” said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, GSMA chairman. “There is still so much more to be done in extending the transformative effects of mobile and Mats is ideally positioned to lead the GSMA as we move forward in connecting the world.”

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