HONG KONG, Dec. 7, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today announced the recipients of the 2006 3G CDMA Industry Achievement Awards, which were presented yesterday evening during the Mobile Entertainment Forum's (MEF) wireless industry reception in Hong Kong. Companies and individuals were recognized for excellence in deploying advanced 3G CDMA networks, products, and services.
"The CDMA community is leading the industry in the delivery of 3G wireless services, so there are many accomplishments to recognize," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "The CDG congratulates all of the recipients of this year's awards and applauds their contributions towards making CDMA2000(r) the technology of choice for 3G."
This year's 3G CDMA Industry Achievement Award recipients are:
* Industry Leadership: Masaaki Koga, KDDI
This award is given to the individual who has provided dynamic
leadership in 3G CDMA industry activities, including
contributions to standards development and the growth and
evolution of CDMA.
Masaaki Koga of KDDI was the long-time co-chair of the CDG
International Roaming Team (IRT). Under his leadership, the IRT
grew from a small group of CDMA operators into a much larger
organization that has achieved significant advancements in
further enabling CDMA international roaming.
* International Leadership: Tata Teleservices Limited and Telecom
New Zealand Limited
This award is given to the companies that have contributed
significantly to the expansion of 3G CDMA through system
deployments.
Tata Teleservices Limited introduced two services to expand their
international roaming capabilities: Removable User Identity
Module (RUIM) services, to allow subscribers to use both CDMA and
GSM network and user profiles in their dual-mode R-UIM-enabled
phones; and "One World One Number" to provide a single CDMA user
identity and phone number for all of their international roaming
subscribers, irrespective of which network they use or roam to.
Telecom New Zealand Limited (TNZ) provided significant
leadership, cooperation and knowledge in furthering the value of
CDMA and expanding its international roaming capabilities. TNZ
was a leading operator in establishing plus-code dialing, voice,
SMS and packet data international roaming. The company is very
active in the CDG International Roaming Team and Packet Data
Working Group.
* Service Innovation: Verizon Wireless
This award is given to the service provider that has fully
leveraged the capabilities of 3G CDMA to introduce new and
innovative services to the market.
Verizon Wireless introduced VZ Navigator to provide network-
assisted global positioning system (GPS) services with an
intuitive user interface. This popular service has enabled
Verizon Wireless to become a leader in the delivery of location-
based services.
* Subscriber Technology Innovation: LG Electronics, Inc.
This award is given to the company that has demonstrated
innovation and forward thinking in terms of developing subscriber
services within a state-of-the-art device design. The services
and device design must take full advantage of the inherent
benefits and latest technological developments of 3G CDMA, in
terms of both features and packaging.
LG Electronics introduced the stylish "Chocolate" CDMA2000
1xEV-DO multimedia phone to support video and audio streaming,
MP3 music downloads, MPEG4 or H.263 video downloads and playback,
picture and video messaging using a 1.3 Mpix camera with 4x zoom
and built-in flash, Bluetooth connectivity and dual-speaker
headphones, microSD removable memory, and navigation keys within
its hidden touch pad screen. This phone was designed to enable
the suite of V CAST services over the Verizon Wireless
BroadbandAccess network.
* Network Technology Innovation: Airvana, Inc.
This award is given to the network company that has best
leveraged the capabilities of 3G CDMA to introduce innovative
services to the market.
Airvana made the industry's very first Quality of Service (QoS)
enabled mobile-to-mobile Voice over IP (VoIP) call on a
commercially available CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A network.
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A supports multiple QoS flows per handset
each with its own unique QoS requirements.
* Innovative Solutions: Lenovo, QUALCOMM, Inc., Sierra Wireless,
and Verizon Wireless
This award is given to companies that have brought new ideas and
different approaches to product deployment. The solutions
developed must provide value-added, cost-effective
implementations for those operators supporting the advancement of
3G CDMA.
The ThinkPad Z60 series, launched in October 2005 on the Verizon
Wireless CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network using the Sierra Wireless
MC5720 module and Qualcomm's MSM6500 chip, allowed PC notebook
users for the first time to have wireless broadband access
without a separate PC card or additional hardware.
* Universal Services: Valtron E.I.R.L.
This award is given to the company that has leveraged the
capabilities of 3G CDMA technologies to provide wireless voice
and/or broadband capabilities to rural and/or developing areas,
enabling communications access for an underserved population.
Valtron is using CDMA450 to offer affordable voice and high-speed
data services to 127 pueblos in the Andean mountains of Peru.
Valtron's CDMA450 network is bridging the digital divide by
providing universal access to Peru's indigenous population that
is spread throughout the mountains, valleys and deep ravines.
In partnership with the MEF (www.m-e-f.org), this year's Consumer
award winners are:
* Innovative Application of Music/Audio: Groove Mobile
This award is given to the application developer or content
provider that has leveraged the capabilities of the 3G CDMA
wireless medium to offer unique and appealing music and/or audio
applications to the consumer market. Qualifications include
sound, user interface, ease of use, and success in the market, as
measured by consumer adoption and/or revenues generated.
Using a complex algorithm, Groove Mobile has developed and
deployed a "personal music recommendations" application based on
an individual's purchases. This application is a unique blend of
artificial intelligence, 3G technology, and musical expertise.
* Innovative Use of Music: KDDI Corporation
This award is given to the operator that has leveraged the
capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to offer unique and
appealing music and/or music applications to the consumer market.
Qualifications include sound, user interface, ease of use, and
success in the market as measured by consumer adoption and/or
revenues generated.
KDDI's "au Listen Mobile Service", i.e., "LISMO," is the
industry's first comprehensive music service that seamlessly
links au mobile phones and PCs. Utilizing a special tool
("au Music Port"), this service enables customers to archive
music files they have downloaded to their mobile phone onto their
PC, as well as use their mobile phone as a means to enjoy full-
length music files they have downloaded to their PCs via the
Internet or from a CD.
* Innovative Mobile Game Development: Digital Chocolate
This award is given to the game developer that has leveraged the
capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to introduce a unique
title or re-develop a console game with broad appeal to the
consumer market. Qualifications include graphics, user
interface, complexity (i.e., increasing levels of
difficulty/skill), ease of use, success in the market as measured
by consumer adoption and/or revenues generated.
Digital Chocolate's "Rollercoaster Rush" allows users to take
their riders on a gut-wrenching rollercoaster terror ride,
negotiate huge peaks, steep valleys, loop-the-loops, jumps and
more, and race for the best time without flying off the tracks.
It leverages 3G technology to deliver a richly-rendered 3D gaming
experience, plus implements proprietary, in-game viral community
and cross-selling tools to reach additional consumers.
* Innovative Use of Mobile Television: Sprint Nextel
This award is given to the operator or content provider that has
leveraged the capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to
offer unique and appealing mobile TV programming to the consumer
market. Qualifications include user interface, ease of use,
success in the market as measured by consumer adoption and/or
revenues generated.
Sprint Nextel launched "Sprint Movies," the first "pay-per-view"
service for a mobile phone in the U.S. that streams full-length
movies, including recent box-office hits and timeless favorites
from Buena Vista VOD, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
and Universal Pictures.
* Innovative Entertainment Technology Development: Exit Games Inc.
This award is given to the platform developer that has leveraged
the capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to develop
technologies that enable developers to create innovative
entertainment applications. Qualifications include technical
innovation, and success in the market as measured by take-up
and/or revenues generated.
Exit Games' "Neutron 3.5" provides a multiplayer platform service
that allows for a high-degree of innovation that may be
customized to include advanced IMS capabilities. The fully
scalable, hosted system gives operators easy access to content
without demanding any integration work on the part of the
publisher or carrier, while also connecting players globally
across mobile platforms and carriers. A powerful tool for mobile
developers, publishers, operators, and carriers, Neutron 3.5
makes the process of cross-integration a simple process that does
not require any additional technical support or operator
maintenance.
* Most Innovative Social Networking Application: Juice Wireless
This award is given to the developer that has leveraged the
capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to offer a unique and
appealing social networking application for the consumer market.
Qualifications include ease of use, user interface, complexity of
features, breadth of adoption, success in the market as measured
by consumer adoption and/or revenues generated.
With MediaBox, "JuiceCaster" users can quickly and easily capture
and post pictures and videos from their mobile phones to
virtually any online personal page or web site such as MySpace,
Xanga, Blogger, GooglePages, Friendster and BlackPlanet.
JuiceCaster was the first to enable users to capture picture and
video content on the mobile phone and then easily share this
content with other JuiceCaster users on computers or mobile
phones.
In partnership with Mobile Enterprise Magazine
(www.mobileenterprisemag.com), this year's Enterprise award winners
are:
* Innovative Wireless Enterprise Solution Implementation: Tidewell
Hospice and Palliative Care
This award is given to the company that has implemented a
wireless enterprise application via a 3G CDMA network with the
aim of streamlining operations, increasing worker productivity
and achieving a compelling return on investment.
Tidewell Hospice and Palliative Care is using Sierra Wireless and
Novatel Wireless PC cards to connect the PC notebooks of their
medical field staff to the Sprint Nextel network to provide
broad, reliable access to real-time medical information, to
improve the productivity of their nurses, to reduce unnecessary
data replication, and to improve overall patient care. As a
result, Tidewell has saved $1,548 per nurse, per year by
consolidating on a single device, and close to $6,000 per day due
to increased productivity across 130 current users.
* Innovative Wireless Enterprise Solution Development: Vallent
Corporation
This award is given to the application developer that has
leveraged the capabilities of the 3G CDMA wireless medium to
offer innovative mobile applications that enable companies to
streamline their operations, increase worker productivity and
achieve a compelling return on their investments.
Vallent's Virtuo platform provides wireless service providers
with a network management tool that simplifies the quality
control of applications and services across their entire network
into a single platform. By presenting an integrated approach to
network quality management, wireless operators can view network
data usage by service, business or network using a single
dashboard -- simplifying network quality management and further
promoting the use of 3G services.
The industry and enterprise awards were presented by Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG, and Greg Young, president of the CDG and CTO for Tata Teleservices. LaForge and Stefan Rust, MEF Asia chair, presented the consumer awards.
The award nomination process was open to the general public through the CDG website. Final selection of the industry award winners was made by senior CDG executive members, as well as representatives of industry associations and the trade media community.
Photos from the awards ceremony are available by contacting the CDG News Bureau at +1 714-540-1030.
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.
The CDG logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2911
CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA)