COSTA MESA, Feb. 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) reported today that the CDMA subscriber base reached more than 240.2 million in December 2004, increasing 27% for the year. CDMA2000(r) added 21.5 million new subscribers in the 4Q, ending the year with nearly 147 million users.
"The number of CDMA users continues to expand at a rapid pace across all regions. Asia has surpassed the 100 million milestone, North America will follow in the first half of this year, and Latin America is growing at 32% annually," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "CDMA2000 provides a great example of how 3G CDMA technologies can drive net adds for wireless operators across all markets and consumer segments. As the migration to 3G accelerates, CDMA will capture an increasingly greater market share and become the dominant wireless platform."
Asia is the largest region for CDMA with a base of 102 million, expanding at 30% per year. China Unicom has more than 28 million CDMA users, and India is emerging as a significant market for CDMA, capturing 25% of the market in just two years. Asia also has the largest base of CDMA2000 users: 73 million, or nearly 50% of all CDMA2000 subscribers, reside in the region.
North American CDMA carriers reported record net additions of more than 4.1 million new users last quarter, and 17 million for the year. CDMA remains the dominant technology in the region, with 47% of the market. CDMA2000 operators have also seen a significant uptake in data services and growth in data revenues; some carriers have reported that the number of data subscribers grew by over 50% and data revenues surged by 75% in 2004.
Latin America and the Caribbean was the fastest-growing region in 2004 for CDMA, reaching 42.2 million subscribers. CDMA2000 is rapidly expanding in the region, delivering advanced data services, affordable voice services and high-speed Internet access to 9 million people in 17 countries.
CDMA subscriber statistics and CDMA2000 deployment information are 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. 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.