COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 8, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today congratulates Verizon Wireless on its nationwide expansion of CDMA2000(r) 1xEV-DO. Verizon Wireless initially introduced its CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services, marketed under BroadbandAccess, to consumers in the San Diego and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas in October 2003. The carrier's 3G CDMA2000 1xEV-DO high-speed data services will be available to consumers in many major U.S. cities this summer.
"The CDMA community applauds Verizon Wireless on its marquee achievement in bringing the first nationwide CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network to market in the U.S.," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "CDMA carriers are leading the way to high-quality, high-speed wireless access to feature-rich data applications and services. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is the most advanced wireless data technology on the market today, and we expect the momentum to continue with additional global deployments in 2004."
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is part of the CDMA2000 family of standards, which also includes CDMA2000 1X, the leading 3G technology. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is an IMT-2000 3G standard and can deliver data at speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps. It is backward compatible with cdmaOne(tm) and CDMA2000 and is a natural evolution for CDMA service providers, requiring only minor upgrades to the network and minimal capital investment.
SK Telecom was the first carrier to deploy CDMA2000 1xEV-DO in Korea in January 2002. Eight additional networks have been launched, by KT Freetel also in Korea, KDDI in Japan, Vesper and Brasil Telecom in Brazil, PT Wireless Indonesia, APBWC in Taiwan, Monet Mobile Networks and Verizon Wireless in the United States. There are 47 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO devices available today.
75 carriers operate CDMA2000 networks in 40 countries, and 45 major suppliers offer more than 415 different CDMA2000 mobile phones and devices around the world. CDMA2000 topped more than 70 million subscribers as of September 2003.
More information on CDMA2000 and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
About the CDG
The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA technologies. The more than 100 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 CDMA 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 CDMA-related matters. The subscriber numbers in this release are estimates provided by third parties on a quarterly basis and have not been independently verified by CDG. For more information about the CDG, contact Valerie Christopherson of the CDG News Bureau at +1-714-540-1030, ext. 14, e-mail vchristopherson@bockpr.com, or visit the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
Note to editors: cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDG. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA).