HONG KONG, Nov. 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today announced the first CDMA Certification Forum (CCF) test facility authorized to certify CDMA2000(r) devices for commercial availability -- NEWS IQ Labs headquartered in San Diego, California.
The CCF (www.globalccf.org) is a global forum working towards streamlining the way 3G devices are tested and prepared for commercialization. The mission of the forum is to develop and implement a standardized global certification process that will significantly reduce the time and cost of bringing third generation (3G) devices to market.
"The CCF is an essential industry effort to improve the availability, interoperability and affordability of CDMA2000 devices," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "The CCF test process is an evolutionary step forward from the existing CDG test process, and with the availability of authorized test labs worldwide it will continue moving our industry in the right direction."
NEWS IQ Labs (www.newsiq-inc.com) is ready to begin accepting CDMA2000 1X devices that are designed per the CDG's Global Handset Requirements for CDMA (GHRC) -- a set of standards-based handset requirements documents that use a consistent format, language, set of references and definitions. Using a combination of laboratory and field tests over a period of a month, the lab will verify whether or not a device is ready for certification by the forum. Once the modem layer functionality, product conformance, network interoperability and essential performance of the device are certified, it is ready for shipment to most any CDMA market worldwide.
James Fraley, CEO of NEWS IQ, said that he "Looks forward to assisting the CDMA industry in bringing terminals to market faster using the non-proprietary testing process."
As an independent testing and evaluation laboratory that supports the rapid commercialization of next-generation CDMA devices, NEWS IQ Labs will be leading the way toward streamlining how the CDMA industry gets its products to market.
"We are working hard to authorize several other test labs around the world to increase the availability of the CCF certification process and reduce the queue for testing the commercial readiness of CDMA devices," said Thomas Erickson, president and CEO of the CCF. "The uniform and clearly defined CCF test process will allow device manufacturers to have devices certified only once before shipping it to any operator worldwide, resulting in great improvements in test efficiency and significant reduction in test cost. Meanwhile, the time and cost savings realized by the CCF test process will allow infrastructure vendors and operators to focus on testing the value-added services that differentiate their product offerings in the marketplace."
About the CCF
The CDMA Certification Forum (CCF) is a partnership between CDMA operators and CDMA device vendors to certify CDMA2000 devices that are ready for commercialization. The CCF offers a streamlined global certification process that enables devices to be adequately tested and certified for commercialization in an affordable and timely manner. Its charter is to define and maintain a global standard certification test plan to certify that CDMA2000 devices meet the requisite product conformance, network interoperability, and essential performance specifications that are dictated by international standards bodies. The forum, whose founding members include Motorola, Nokia, QUALCOMM, Telstra, U.S. Cellular and Via Telecom, is also responsible for validating test platforms, authorizing test facilities, auditing test data and issuing device certifications. For more information about the CCF, visit the CCF Web site at www.globalccf.org or contact the CDG News Bureau.
About CDMA
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 131 CDMA2000 operators, 124 1X and 24 1xEV-DO commercial networks in 61 countries; additionally, 29 1X and 30 1xEV-DO networks are in deployment. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne(tm), TDMA, analog and Greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. 900 CDMA2000 devices are available on the market, including 150 for 1xEV-DO. For more information on CDMA2000, visit 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.
cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDG
CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA)