COSTA MESA, Calif., Oct. 19, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- More than 1,100 wireless leaders from over 37 countries attended the ninth annual CDMA Americas Congress in Miami, organized by the CDMA Development Group (CDG). Operators, equipment vendors, content providers, application developers and analysts shared CDMA2000(r) success stories and discussed market opportunities, business strategies and evolution to next-generation networks and services. The prevailing theme of the conference was emerging opportunities for data services. With the introduction of CDMA2000 1X and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, data is the fastest-growing business for many carriers, and some forecast that it will contribute 50 percent of revenues in five years.
In his opening address, Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG, highlighted that CDMA is the driving force in the wireless industry: CDMA is the fastest-growing technology worldwide, CDMA2000 is leading 3G with 94 operators and more than 124 million users in 47 countries, and 3G CDMA technologies will dominate the wireless market by 2009. During keynote addresses, operators from around the world detailed how they are capitalizing on the advantages of CDMA2000 to deliver both voice and data services, leading to greater subscriber acquisition, lower churn and increased revenues.
Dick Lynch, senior vice president and chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless, detailed the carrier's recent CDMA2000 1xEV-DO expansion to 14 markets in the U.S., noting that the service will be national in 2005. The 1xEV-DO service, branded BroadbandAccess, is targeting the enterprise market, but will expand into the consumer market next year, with the introduction of 1xEV-DO handsets in the next few months. Lynch stressed that the 1xEV-DO deployment is an extension of Verizon's network strategy, and the operator will be evaluating 1xEV-DO Rev. A, which offers voice over IP, to offer new services and improve network performance and efficiencies.
Byung Moo Kim, Ph. D, president, SK Telecom International, outlined how targeted branding and marketing have allowed the operator to differentiate and maximize revenue potential for CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO services. Bharat B. Anand, president, regulatory affairs for Reliance Infocomm, the largest wireless operator in India, presented how the operator has capitalized on the high-speed data capabilities of CDMA2000 1X to introduce a wide range of innovative services, from video streaming, mobile banking and wireless point-of-sale solutions, to enterprise solutions. John Rooney, president and CEO of U.S. Cellular, called for the industry to continue to collaborate on delivering customized services, simplicity and carrier inter-operability.
"From the testimonials and demonstrations given during the 2004 Americas Congress, it is clear that wireless operators using CDMA2000 technology enjoy flexibility, increased network efficiency, and new revenue opportunities," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "CDMA2000 carriers have a clear evolution path to the all-IP network of the future, and as networks and services converge, they will be able to deliver a richer customer experience and pursue new market opportunities and revenue streams."
Panel sessions and presentations at the event focused on technology evolution and business strategies. Speakers in the technology track discussed the evolution to high-speed data, the advancement of 1xEV-DO and 1xEV-DV, the implementation of all-IP networks, and how to integrate emerging technologies. The business track featured winning segmentation and branding strategies, consumer and enterprise market opportunities and revenue-generating applications, with content and application providers discussing the latest trends in wireless games and music. The Congress also offered interactive workshops, the tenth annual CDMA Test Forum, exhibits of the latest technologies, applications and handsets, and the presentation of the 3G CDMA Industry Achievement Awards.
Keynote speakers were Michael Neuman, President and COO, Bell Mobility; Mark Henderson, President and CEO, Ericsson Canada; Cindy Christy, President, Mobility Business, Lucent Technologies; Soren Peterson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Business Development and Strategy, Mobile Phone Business Group, Nokia; Richard Lowe, President, CDMA Networks, Nortel Networks; Paul Jacobs, Executive Vice President and President of Wireless Internet Group, Qualcomm; Bharat B. Anand, President, Regulatory Affairs, Reliance Infocomm; Byung Moo Kim, Ph. D, President, SK Telecom International; Doug Rasor, Vice President, Manager, Worldwide Strategic Marketing, Texas Instruments; John Rooney, President and CEO, U.S. Cellular; Dick Lynch, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, Verizon Wireless; and Dan Schulman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Mobile USA.
This year's sponsors included Comverse, Dyaptive Systems, Ericsson, Kyocera Wireless, Lucent Technologies, Nokia, Nortel Networks, Qualcomm, Sun Microsystems, Texas Instruments and UTStarcom. For a complete list of sponsors and exhibitors, as well as the final agenda, please visit the event Web site at www.cdma-americas.com.
About CDMA2000: 100 Million and Growing
With more than 124 million subscribers worldwide, CDMA2000 is leading the global migration to 3G networks and services. CDMA2000 benefited from the extensive experience acquired through the development and operation of cdmaOne(tm) systems, and was designed to be a very efficient and robust technology. CDMA, the basis for cdmaOne and CDMA2000, was used as the platform for TD-SCDMA and WCDMA, the two other leading IMT-2000 technologies. Supporting both voice and data, CDMA2000 was designed to operate in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. More information on CDMA2000 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 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. 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.