A major annual mobile telecom conference and exhibition will be moved to Macau from Singapore next year to bring participants closer to the booming markets of China, Japan and South Korea, an AFP report said.
The AFP report, quoting a GSM Association statement, said the industry group's flagship 3GSM World Congress Asia would be held at the new Venetian hotel and convention center in Macau from November 12-15, 2007.
Singapore had hosted the event for three years, the AFP report said.
GSM Association chairman Craig Ehrlich said the move was aimed at bringing the event closer to the Chinese market, as well as to South Korea and Japan.
'Chief among (the reasons) is the need to innovate and move with the rapidly changing dynamics of the mobile industry in Asia, in particular, the importance of being closer to China, Korea and Japan, the technology and innovation powerhouses of the region,' Ehrlich was quoted as saying.
Singapore, which is also boosting its reputation as a conventions and exhibitions center, is hosting the event for the last time this week, according to the AFP report.
The GSM Association is a global trade group representing 700 GSM mobile phone operators in 215 countries. In addition, more than 180 manufacturers and suppliers support the association's initiatives as key partners, the AFP report said.