COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today congratulated KDDI for signing up more new users than their rivals since Japan's mobile number portability (MNP) rules took effect on October 24, 2006. Of the more than one million subscribers who changed their service provider between October 24, 2006 and January 31, 2007, KDDI has witnessed a net increase of 600,000 3G subscribers, while the other Japanese operators have seen a net reduction. Also, when considering all new subscriptions with the past three months ending in January 2007, KDDI garnered 67 percent of the total number of net subscriptions.
"We have watched subscribers effortlessly switch over to KDDI's CDMA2000 network due to Japan's recent mobile number portability rule, which is a testament to the value of CDMA2000 and KDDI's leadership position," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "CDMA2000 continues to deliver advanced 3G services two to three years ahead of the competition, enabling operators to be among the first to offer popular services such as downloading CD-quality songs, watching TV, finding friends with navigation and proximity tools, sending richly-rendered multimedia messages and email with attachments, and communicating via video conference. This is the advantage that keeps KDDI ahead in its market."
For the past year and a half, KDDI has consistently added more monthly net subscribers to their 3G CDMA2000 network than the other operators have added to their 3G UMTS networks, bringing their total subscriber base by the end of January 2007 to more than 27.4 million.
Mr. Tohru Kawai, Vice President and General Manager, au Business Sector of KDDI stated, "KDDI is delighted with the increasing number of subscribers transferring to our CDMA2000 network. KDDI is committed to continuing to offer its subscribers the latest in technology, services, devices and customer care."
Since the number portability rule went into effect, the Japanese market has seen an increase in competition among the country's operators. The operators have begun to augment the value of their service by offering loyalty programs with discounts for heavy phone users, enhancing their mobile device selection and improving the quality of mobile entertainment services. In December, KDDI leapfrogged ahead of its competition by launching its CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A network and in January, KDDI continued to be an innovator in technology by announcing ten new 3G handset models focused on enhanced form factor styles and functions, including eight handsets that are digital-TV enabled. Also, up to 78% of KDDI's EV-DO users have signed up for their simplified flat-rate plans, which have been very popular for those subscribers who switched to KDDI after Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was introduced.
Due to CDMA2000's increased performance speeds, its broad range of applications, and time-to-market advantage, the technology is becoming the leading standard adopted for next-generation mobile telecommunications. There are more than 350 million CDMA2000 subscribers worldwide.
More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 190 operators in 84 countries, including 55 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems, serving more than 350 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne(tm) subscribers, there are more than 375 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne, TDMA, analog and greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. Nearly 1,600 CDMA2000 devices from more than 90 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 390 1xEV-DO devices. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.
About CDG
The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA2000 technologies. The more than 130 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 CDMA2000 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 CDMA2000-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.
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