NEW ORLEANS, March 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- CTIA -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today announced that Tata Teleservices, a leading telecom service provider in India, has become a member of the CDG Executive Board. Mr. Greg Young, Chief Officer -- Network & Value Added Services (VAS), Tata Teleservices will serve on the Board.
"Tata is playing a key role in the development of the telecom infrastructure in India by offering integrated telecommunication services and is set to redefine the existing benchmarks of the mobile service category in India," said Perry LaForge, executive director, CDG. "India holds tremendous market potential for wireless services and CDMA2000(r) is growing rapidly in India. We are very pleased to have strong representation from this key region in the leadership of our organization and we look forward to working with Tata Teleservices to continue to bring advanced CDMA2000 services to India."
"The induction of Tata Teleservices on the CDG board recognizes the increasing influence of India in the global CDMA community," said Mr. Young. "This role will enable us to work closely with industry leaders and the companies that will influence the future direction and advancement of CDMA around the world. I am confident our active participation will ensure that India's demand for rich value-added services and rapid ongoing customer growth will be met by the CDMA global suppliers. Tata Teleservices is eager to work with our industry peers on the continued evolution of CDMA2000 to meet our customer demands and to enhance the performance and efficiency of our network."
CDMA has been growing rapidly in India since the liberalization of the telecommunications market two years ago. Between December 2002 and 2004, the CDMA subscriber base increased over 500% to reach 14 million users, and CDMA market share grew from 2% to 25%. CDMA operators have expanded their network coverage nationwide and, with deployment of CDMA2000, have introduced high-speed Internet access and a broad range of advanced data services.
About Tata Teleservices
The telecom access arm of the Tata Group today operates wireless services in 20 circles and has a pan-India presence. The company has a customer base of over 3 million spread over 950 towns. With an ambitious rollout plan both within existing circles and across new circles, Tata Teleservices will offer world-class technology and user-friendly services to over 6,000 cities by March 2006. The company, which heralded convergence technologies in the Indian telecom sector, is the world market leader in the fixed wireless service market with a customer base of over 2 million.
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.