The NMT network has mainly been used in Scandinavia but also in the Middle East and in Asia. The introduction of digital mobile networks such as GSM has reduced the popularity of NMT somewhat and some of the Nordic phone companies are considering suspending it. The NMT network however has one big advantage over GSM which is the range; this advantage is valuable in big but sparsely populated countries such as Iceland. In Iceland, the GSM network reaches 98% of the country's population but only a small proportion of its land area. The NMT system however reaches most of the country and a lot of the surrounding waters, thus the network is popular with those traveling in the mountains and fishermen.