COSTA MESA, Calif., July 26, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that CDMA2000(r) continues to dominate the North American 3G wireless telecommunications market -- with more than 135 million 3G subscribers in the region, of which more than 22% use EV-DO mobile broadband devices. The CDG cites an increase in demand for mobile broadband as the primary driver for the sharp increase in CDMA2000 operator revenue.
"CDMA2000's strong growth in North America validates the technology's powerful and robust evolution path," said Perry LaForge, executive director for the CDG. "Its superior performance, utility and reliability have made it the overwhelming choice for subscribers who demand substantial value -- in other words, it is the best solution at the most affordable price."
Collectively, the capital investments of the CDMA2000 service providers in North America are generating more than US$3 billion of revenue per quarter from mobile data services alone. That's more than $34 million dollars per day or around as much as the U.S. entertainment and game software industry makes each day. Including voice revenue, these operators are pulling in another $19 billion of revenue per quarter.
The CDG attributes the rapid subscriber growth to the extensive, first-to-market, selection of innovative and affordable products and services, excellent coverage, a compelling customer experience, and superior customer care.
Following are highlights from two of the leading CDMA operators, as of March 2007:
* Sprint
-- $4.6 billion annualized wireless data service revenue across
both network platforms
- Data revenue growth is being propelled by an increasing share
of EV-DO customers, strong demand for messaging and PDA's, as
well as connection cards
-- $12.25 in CDMA data ARPU, which is over 20% of total ARPU generated
from CDMA subscribers
- Since launching EV-DO, Sprint's data ARPU has increased
approximately 60%
- Sprint continues to deploy EV-DO Rev. A technology, today
reaching more than 206 million people nationwide or more than
98 percent of its current mobile broadband coverage area
-- Connection cards are approaching one million post paid
subscribers
* Verizon Wireless
-- 1.6 million net subscriber additions in Q1 2007, increasing their
retail customer base to 58.5 million, including 23.1 million
customers with EV-DO devices
-- $1.6 billion of data revenue in Q1 2007, up 80% from the previous
year
-- $8.95 in retail data ARPU, up 54% from the previous year
Rural operators, such as Embarq and Metro PCS, have also demonstrated that CDMA2000 is highly desirable for rural and urban subscribers alike. Both operators have seen significant subscriber and revenue growth in previously underserved markets.
Not resting on its laurels, several vendors within the CDMA industry are working diligently towards providing infrastructure equipment and devices for the 1700/2100 MHz (AWS) and 700MHz frequency bands. CDMA2000 has also proven to be an optimum solution for emergency and first responder solutions.
"We are pleased to witness the level of satisfaction CDMA2000 provides across the mobile broadband value chain -- for consumers, businesses, operators, infrastructure and device suppliers, value-added service and content providers, as well as regulatory bodies," commented Joe Lawrence, vice president of marketing for the CDG. "The CDMA ecosystem has created healthy competition in North America and across the world, with the end customer becoming the ultimate benefactor. We look forward to further expanding CDMA2000's presence worldwide."
More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 227 operators in 97 countries, including 77 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems, serving more than 350 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne(tm) subscribers, there are more than 387 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne, TDMA, analog and greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. More than 1,700 CDMA2000 devices from over 92 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 440 1xEV-DO and 26 Rev A devices. 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 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
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).