COSTA MESA, Calif., March 12, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that the CDMA industry continues to lead in 3G, achieved numerous milestones in 2006, including substantial subscriber growth, and witnessed an increased demand for wireless broadband services.
* With 100 million new subscribers in 2006, the number of CDMA users grew at a 24 percent per annum rate, for a total of 373.5 million cdmaOne(tm) and CDMA2000(r) subscribers worldwide. * Up to 190 million CDMA2000 handsets were shipped in 2006, 28% of which had 1xEV-DO broadband capabilities. * The demand for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO mobile broadband subscriptions dramatically increased with more than 30 million new additions in 2006, and 1xEV-DO now has 55 million global users, up from 24.4 million in 2005. * The world's first four CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) networks were launched in 4Q 2006, delivering on the promise of higher speed broadband access in both directions and significantly lower latencies.
"CDMA2000 operators continue to lead in the delivery of advanced 3G services," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "With Rev. A deployments coming online and Ultra Mobile Broadband(tm) (UMB) on the horizon, we can expect to see this growth trend to continue. CDMA2000 operators have benefited from the technology's innovation and market lead, and they are in a unique position to reap the rewards of enabling the delivery of a true mobile broadband experience."
The migration to 3G has been led by the CDMA industry with an increasing number of operators who now serve up to 70% of all global 3G subscribers.
* Over 230 operators in more than 100 countries have deployed or are
planning to deploy CDMA2000; 192 operators in 82 countries are
already commercial.
-- Up to 50% of these operators have deployed or are planning to
deploy wireless broadband services using CDMA2000 1xEV-DO.
-- Up to 103 of these operators have deployed or are committed to
deploying 3G services using CDMA450 technology.
-- Up to 40 GSM operators have opted to deploy 3G CDMA2000
technology.
The demand for wireless data services enabled by EV-DO is driven by multimedia messaging, gaming, entertainment, personalization, enterprise services, and other advanced wireless data services. This demand has led to increased operator data revenue.
* For most leading CDMA2000 operators, mobile data (including SMS)
now accounts for more than 15% of their total average monthly
revenue.
-- Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless, and Telecom New Zealand
witnessed record-breaking, double-digit revenue growth in
wireless data, up to 66%, 63%, and 34.2% respectively.
-- In Korea, SK Telecom continued to witness an increase in
wireless Internet ARPU, up 11% from 2005.
-- In Japan, KDDI reported a 7.4% increase in data revenue and an
average of US$28.30 per user per month for their EV-DO (WIN)
broadband data services, which contributes up to 30% of KDDI's
total revenue.
The CDMA industry introduced a wide variety of CDMA2000 devices in 2006 and drove the cost of 3G handsets to below US$30 through initiatives such as Global Handset Requirements for CDMA (GHRC).
* More than 600 CDMA2000 devices became commercially available in 2006, increasing the total to 1,600, including 400 1xEV-DO, 25 WorldMode(tm) and 18 EV-DO Rev. A devices. * More than 25 EV-DO-enabled notebooks were introduced by Dell, HP, Itronix, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba. * The industry delivered 3G CDMA2000 1X handsets at a wholesale cost below US$30 in the highly competitive Indian market and offered more than 30 handset models from 12 suppliers to operators on each continent for less than US$50.
More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 192 operators in 82 countries, including 57 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems, serving more than 325 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. Around 1,600 CDMA2000 devices from more than 90 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 400 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.
The CDG logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2911
Note to editors
cdmaOne is a registered trademark of the CDMA Development Group. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA). Ultra Mobile Broadband and UMB are trade and service marks owned by the CDMA Development Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.