UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 20549

                             -----------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 24, 2003

                         TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
               (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

           Maryland                       0-30821                52-1526369
(State or Other Jurisdiction of   (Commission File Number)      (IRS Employer
        Incorporation)                                       Identification No.)

                   275 West Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (ZIP Code)

        Registrant's telephone number, including area code (410) 263-7616



Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

      (c) Exhibits

      Exhibit      Description
      -------      -----------
      99.1         Press Release issued July 24, 2003

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure (Item 12, Disclosure of Results of Operations
and Financial Condition).

      The following information is furnished pursuant to Item 12, "Disclosure of
Results of Operations and Financial Condition":

      On July 24, 2003, TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (the "Company")
announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2003 and other
information. The full text of the press release is set forth in Exhibit 99.1
hereto. The information in this report, including the exhibit hereto, is deemed
not "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended. Further, pursuant to the interim guidance of the Securities and
Exchange Commission in Release No. 33-8216, the Company is including this Item
12 information under Item 9 because Item 12 has not yet been added to the EDGAR
system.

                         [Signature on following page.]


                                       2



                                    SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                          TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.

                                                 /s/ Thomas M. Brandt, Jr.
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Name:  Thomas M. Brandt, Jr.
                                          Title: Senior Vice President and Chief
                                                 Financial Officer

Date: July 24, 2003


                                       3



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit          Description
- -------          -----------
99.1             Press Release issued July 24, 2003