DENVER, Oct. 29, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that it has been accepted as a Market Representation Partner (MRP) by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Under this strategic marketing partnership, the CDG agrees to facilitate the interworking of CDMA2000(R) and LTE technologies on behalf of the CDMA community to support future LTE deployments. Likewise, the CDG's status as an MRP strengthens 3GPP's LTE advocacy amongst existing CDMA operators as they seek to expand their market leadership by complementing their 3G CDMA offerings with OFDM-based technologies.
At a signing ceremony today, Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG, said, "The CDG is pleased to accept this role as an MRP for 3GPP. CDMA2000 operators will be among the first to augment their 3G CDMA networks with LTE, and representing the interests of 3GPP to the CDMA community will help ensure that the technology succeeds commercially."
At least a dozen CDMA2000 operators are already making plans to deploy LTE for next-generation mobile broadband services. Verizon Wireless has set an aggressive timeline for its LTE deployment, planning to launch in two markets by the end of 2009 and 30-35 markets by the end of 2010. These operators will continue to rely on their CDMA2000 1X networks for circuit-switched voice services and 1xEV-DO networks for ubiquitous mobile broadband as they supplement their current 3G services with LTE.
The CDG will draw upon a decade of experience as an MRP with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), where it has helped define market requirements during the development of several CDMA-based standards. The CDG brings a unique perspective to the standards development process for LTE and LTE Advanced, particularly for addressing interworking between OFDM and CDMA2000 technologies to meet the needs of these first-adopter CDMA operators.
More information on CDMA is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a widely deployed 3G technology, with 290 operators in 103 countries and territories serving 494 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne(TM) subscribers, there are over 502 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is a widely-deployed 3G CDMA (IMT-2000) solution offering mobile broadband to 128 million people across a wide range of devices. CDMA2000 has been chosen by operators in both developed and emerging markets, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900, AWS and 2100 MHz bands. More than 2,110 CDMA2000 devices from over 115 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 528 Rel. 0 and 118 Rev. A devices on 108 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 and 70 Rev. A systems. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
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 140 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.
The CDG logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2911
Note to editors
cdmaOne is a registered trademark of the CDMA Development Group. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.