 of Europe followed on behind the USA. A system known as Total Access Communications System (TACS) devel- oped by Motorola was used in many countries. In the UK licences were awarded in 1985. Two companies were given licences, one company was partly owned by the previously state owned British Telecommunications (BT), and the other was called Racal Vodaphone. Owned by Racal Electronics plc, this company was later floated off as a separate company to become Vodafone, now one of the world's largest mobile phone companies. Naturally cellular telecommunications technology spread around the world to many countries, and several other standards were introduced. Although analogue systems worked well they had some drawbacks, and ideas for digital systems were forming. One of the first was a European initiative which started life as Groupe Spéciale Mobile. Its name was later changed to Global System for Mobile Communications, and the initials GSM were retained. Initial work for this started in 1982. A total of 26 telecommunications companies within Europe co-operated on the devel- opment of the new system and it commenced operation with frequencies in the 900 MHz band in mid-1991. The same basic system is also used at Cellular telecommunications 249 1800 MHz where it is often known as DCS 1800 (Digital Communications System) or GSM 1800, and in North America at 1900 MHz where it is called PCS 1900 (Personal Communications System) or GSM 1900. It is also being used increasingly in an 850 MHz band in North America. With GSM established the next major development it underwent was the introduction of the short message service (SMS). Initially thought to be an interesting development, its use rose rapidly, especially as young people found it a cheap way of communicating using their phones. Meanwhile in 1994 in the USA a company named Qualcomm proposed a system based around a spread spectrum technique, using CDMA. The system was given the trade name cdmaOne and its specification was classified as IS-95. The system possessed sever