COSTA MESA, Calif., May 28, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today reported on the conclusion of this year's 3G CDMA Latin America Regional Conference, which took place May 13-15 at Le Meridien Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. At the conference, telecommunications executives and members of the media, analyst and regulatory communities gathered to discuss CDMA in the region. Topics included the evolution path of CDMA2000(r), increased device availability, regulatory opportunities for CDMA450, and how wider bandwidth OFDM-based mobile broadband solutions will complement CDMA to help increase Internet penetration.
"We are continuing to see an increased demand for data services in Latin America and the Caribbean, as nearly sixty percent of the CDMA2000 operators in the region will be offering EV-DO broadband services within the next year," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "At this year's 3G Latin America Regional Conference, we showcased the success CDMA2000 has experienced in delivering voice and advanced broadband services and highlighted other opportunities for economic growth, such as the adoption of CDMA450."
The pre-conference program began with a roundtable featuring participants from regulators in Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Honduras; operators from Ecuador (ETAPA) and Peru (Valtron); and Qualcomm. During the roundtable, participants highlighted new CDMA450 projects in the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Peru along with new spectrum allocations coming soon in Mexico and Peru. Addressing regulatory issues are paramount to the expansion of CDMA450 in the region, as each country attempts to clear this valuable spectrum for wireless telephony, broadband Internet access and emergency services in both urban and rural areas. A CDMA University training course on "EV-DO Concepts for Business Professionals" and a workshop titled, "Evolution to Next-Generation Mobile Broadband Solutions" were also offered during the pre-conference program.
The first day of the conference began with a regulator keynote address by Lucia Cayetana Aljovin Gazzani, Vice Minister of Communications for Peru, and an operator keynote by Ignacio Angulo, Executive Vice President of Centennial Puerto Rico, followed by application keynotes from Rodrigo Sanchez of LatCel, and Eugenio Velasco, Director, Mobile Services for Televisa Digital. Panel sessions focused on a range of topics, including enhancements to CDMA2000 and its roadmap, delivering advanced broadband services with EV-DO, and interoperability with next-generation mobile broadband OFDM-based solutions. Of particular importance was the announcement that within the next few years, the voice capacity of CDMA2000 1X will more than double from 35 to greater than 70 simultaneous calls per sector, and enhancements to EV-DO will enable the technology to deliver up to 34.4 Mbps using only four 1.25 MHz carriers.
Leading off the second day of the conference was an operator keynote by Gustavo Guzman, CEO, Iusacell and a regulator keynote from Gerardo Gonzalez Abarca, commissioner of COFETEL. Sessions included operator perspectives on bringing new services to market, ultra-low cost handset availability, and a segment on how femtocells will further increase CDMA coverage in rural, enterprise and home settings. To close the conference, a panel of industry press and analysts from Convergencia Latina, Pyramid Research and the Competitive Intelligence Unit provided their perspectives on CDMA in the Latin America market and the future of the mobile business within the region.
There are currently more than 66 million CDMA users in 24 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The number of CDMA networks continues to grow, with 50 CDMA2000 networks in commercial operation and another 12 being deployed in the region.
For more information, please visit www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 258 operators in 99 countries serving more than 418 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne(tm) subscribers, there are more than 431 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for developed and emerging market operators, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900, AWS and 2100 MHz bands. More than 1,980 CDMA2000 devices from over 110 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 515 Rel. 0 and 56 Rev. A devices on 134 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems worldwide. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA450
CDMA450 is a TIA-EIA-IS-CDMA2000 (CDMA-MC) system deployed in 450 MHz which includes a family of standards developed by 3GPP2, published by TIA and approved by ITU for IMT-2000: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and CDMA2000. Currently, CDMA2000 1X and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO are commercially available for the 450 MHz band and CDMA2000 is being developed. CDMA450 advantages derive from the spectral efficiency and high-speed data capabilities of CDMA2000 and the expanded coverage afforded by a lower frequency band.
About CDG
The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA2000 technologies. The more than 130 member companies of the CDG include many of the world's largest wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers. The primary activities of the CDG include development of CDMA2000 features and services, public relations, education and seminars, regulatory affairs and international support. Currently, there are more than 500 individuals working within various CDG subcommittees on CDMA2000-related matters. For more information about the CDG, contact the CDG News Bureau at +1-714-540-1030, or visit the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
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