COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) congratulated SkyLink today on its commercial deployment of 3G CDMA2000(r) 1xEV-DO services in the greater Saint Petersburg area. Under the brand name "SkyTurbo," the operator will offer its customers next-generation wireless multimedia services and further drive its data revenue. SkyLink joins 29 other operators across the world in deploying commercial 1xEV-DO services, is the fourth to commercially deploy 1xEV-DO services in the 450 MHz band and the first operator to offer WorldMode(tm) CDMA450 services, which enable customers to use their CDMA2000 1xEV-DO devices to access GSM when traveling internationally.
"With the deployment of CDMA450, SkyLink introduced 3G in Russia and now, with 1xEV-DO, it has launched the most advanced wireless broadband wireless technology commercially deployed today," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "We applaud SkyLink's leadership in bringing innovative solutions and services to the market."
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO operators have at least a 2-3 year time-to-market advantage in broadband wireless services. Optimized for data, 1xEV-DO delivers speeds up to 2.4 Mbps and 600-800 kbps in commercial networks, enabling operators to offer multimedia services such as TV broadcasts, audio downloads and 3D games. In some countries, including the Czech Republic, the technology is also used as an alternative to fixed broadband Internet solutions. First launched in 2002 in Korea, 1xEV-DO has been deployed by 30 operators across all continents and 40 more will do so in coming months.
CDMA450, which represents CDMA2000 designed for the 400-500 MHz frequency range, is the only technology that offers an economical one-step evolution path to 3G for NMT operators, such as SkyLink. Commercially introduced in 2001 in Romania, CDMA450 is gaining significant momentum in markets worldwide. There are already 31 operators in 22 countries in Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Africa which have deployed CDMA450 technologies, and 11 more 1X and 13 1xEV-DO networks are in the deployment phase. The availability of CDMA450 devices is also growing, with 30 1X and 3 1xEV-DO phones, PDAs and PC cards already on the market. The CDMA2000 industry is working on a number of initiatives to accelerate the availability and lower the cost of CDMA450 products, including low-cost and WorldMode devices.
More information on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO and CDMA450 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 143 CDMA2000 operators in 67 countries. There are more than 220 million 3G CDMA2000 subscribers. 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. More than 950 CDMA2000 devices are available on the market.
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.
Note to editors: CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA).
WorldMode is a registered trademark of the CDMA Development Group
cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDMA Development Group