COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today announced that, based on an in-depth analysis of industry data, the worldwide migration to 3G is accelerating, as evidenced by the proliferation of CDMA2000(R). The facts supporting this conclusion are available in a recently published white paper entitled, "The Smart Money is on 3G," which provides a detailed analysis on the pivotal role CDMA2000 has played in creating competition by driving down the cost of delivering voice, multimedia messaging and broadband data services across the globe. The white paper is available for download on the CDG's Web site at www.cdg.org.
"Forward-looking operators around the world are eager to replace their 2G networks with fast, streamlined, and flexible 3G technologies," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "In fact, many operators who chose GSM in the past are making wholesale network changeovers to CDMA2000 to remain competitive and increase their earnings. In the last three years, 126 operators, all of whom had a choice of several 2G and 3G technologies, selected CDMA2000. Around 25 of these operators were GSM operators. 3G CDMA2000 enables operators to lower the cost of delivering voice and data, while supplementing their voice and SMS revenue with lucrative, value-added services."
Within five years of its introduction, 3G has reached 350 million subscribers worldwide. More than 30 million subscribers are added every quarter, and the 3G adoption rate has far exceeded that of any other wireless technology. In leading markets, such as Japan, Korea and the United States, the number of 3G subscribers has already surpassed that of 2G subscribers. Other regional and emerging markets are expected to follow their lead. Western Europe will be the next region to witness the inevitable cross-over of having more 3G than 2G subscribers.
CDMA2000 is now available in 72 countries, and in every major world market on all six continents. CDMA2000 is flexible enough to satisfy the wireless communications needs of densely populated urban markets, such as Tokyo, as well as sparsely populated rural markets, such as the Republic of Ghana. In fact, CDMA2000 is bridging the digital divide in many countries, including Argentina, Egypt, Peru, Pakistan and Uganda, offering affordable voice and broadband data access to millions of users in remote areas who have limited purchasing power.
For subscribers, the rapid growth of CDMA2000 serves both personal and enterprise demands by offering a broad range of applications, such as VoIP, multimedia messaging, high-speed video, mobile commerce, position location, and broadband Internet access. With close to 280 million subscribers, CDMA2000 offers next generation services with economies of scope and scale that are comparable to GSM. CDMA2000 adds nearly 8.5 million new subscribers every month, and close to 80% of the entire 3G subscriber base uses CDMA2000 devices and services. By the end of 2006, CDMA2000 will reach 350 million users; and analysts predict that number will approach 450 million by 2009.
CDMA2000 offers subscribers a very large selection of devices, from notebook PC embedded EV-DO modules that download email files with large attachments, to entry-level handsets that cost less than US$50 and enable consumers to download ringtones, wallpapers and daily prayers. With the introduction of 1,250 devices from 81 suppliers, CDMA2000 supports more devices from more suppliers than any other technology. Due to its maturity and enormous economies of scale, by 2008 the average price for entry-level CDMA2000 handsets will be $33. For the remainder of the decade, the CDG expects CDMA2000 to continue offering the most innovative and most affordable selection of 3G devices.
In all, CDMA2000 offers the highest performance technology and most economical set of network characteristics-all the while preserving operators' investments through easy backward- and forward-compatible upgrades. CDMA2000 is based on open standards that are specified and promulgated by the ITU (IMT-2000), 3GPP2 and TIA/EIA. The CDMA2000 evolution path is also capable of maximizing the performance of various applications by integrating and concurrently assigning multiple airlinks, such as CDMA, TDM, OFDM and OFDMA, and using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and spatial division multiple access (SDMA) techniques. Within the next few years, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is expected to deliver peak data rates between 100 to 500 Mbps, depending upon the level of mobility, using 20 MHz of bandwidth.
More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 162 operators in 72 countries, including 40 CDMA2000 1x-EV-DO systems, serving more than 250 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne subscribers, there are more than 300 million CDMA2000 users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne, TDMA, analog and greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. Nearly 1,250 CDMA2000 devices from more than 80 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including 280 1xEV-DO devices. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
About CDG
The CDMA2000 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.
Note to editors
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