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Facebook joins GSMA to enhance relations with carriers -- report

The company says it plans to be an "active" participant as a newly minted member of the GSM Association.

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CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Facebook is a new member of the GSM Association.

The news, which was confirmed Monday by both Facebook and the GSM Association to FierceWireless, means the world's largest social network will now have a say in the regulations and issues affecting wireless carriers around the world. In a statement to FierceWireless, Facebook spokesman Derick Mains said that the membership "ensures our continued tight alignment with operators worldwide."

Facebook has been making a significant mobile push over the last year. The company has been building out its mobile apps and associated advertising services. Facebook also announced earlier this year that it had inked a deal with several prominent mobile companies, including Ericsson, Qualcomm, Samsung, and Nokia, to launch Internet.org. That initiative aims to bring developing countries online through mobile infrastructure.

Neither the GSM Association nor Facebook specifically said what they have planned for their new partnership. As one of the member companies of the GSM Association, however, Facebook will have far more clout in determining the direction of the wireless industry.