CANCUN, Mexico, May 15, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Today, at the 3G CDMA Latin America Regional Conference, the CDMA Development Group (CDG) announced that CDMA2000(r) continues to expand and is the leading 3G and mobile broadband technology in the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA). There are 43 commercial CDMA2000 operators in 25 countries in the region, and 11 more are building networks. In terms of service providers, CALA is the second largest market after Asia Pacific in providing EV-DO broadband data services, with 21 live networks and 11 more being deployed. There are 63 million CDMA2000 users in CALA, with 2.6 million of them accessing EV-DO broadband data services and this number is growing rapidly. CDMA2000 operators are now accelerating the introduction of advanced mobile broadband data services enabled by CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A technology. This technology was first launched by Sprint Nextel in the United States and Puerto Rico in October 2006 and up to 30 operators will have deployed it by the summer of 2007, 9 of which are in Latin America.
"The CDG is pleased to see CDMA2000 continue its leadership in providing the latest wireless technologies and services in the industry," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "As we have seen from the success of CDMA2000 operators in the Caribbean and Latin America, there is burgeoning demand and opportunity for 3G mobile broadband services in the region. Simply providing prepaid phones and short message services has proven to be insufficient in meeting the demands of enterprises, small businesses and consumers in the region. CDMA2000 has a strong track record in delivering a large selection of revenue-generating 3G services profitability in developing markets."
Rev. A is the most advanced wireless broadband technology commercially available today, providing peak broadband data speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps in the forward link and 1.8 Mbps in the reverse link, substantially lower network latencies, greater bi-directional symmetry, and advanced Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms. With these capabilities, operators can offer enhanced services such as real-time broadband access to the Internet, email with large file transfers (in both directions), multimedia multicasting and delay sensitive services such as voice over IP (VoIP), Push-to-Multimedia (PTM), video conferencing, social multimedia networking, and rich 3D gaming with multiple players. Rev. A's video uplink capabilities will also help CALA economies by enabling remote medicine, distance learning, public safety and location-based security monitoring services.
CALA operators have been very successful in leveraging their performance and time-to-market advantage with CDMA2000 technologies to differentiate their services, drive revenues and enter new markets. They offer a broad range of services to consumers, small business and enterprise customers as well as the public sector. Examples of CDMA2000 services now available in CALA include:
* Centennial Puerto Rico -- Mobile broadband access ("Instant
Internet" and "go Broadband") with flat rate plans; voice, SMS, MMS
and multimedia entertainment ("on the go"); email and access to
information and telecommunications everywhere with Internet access
("Aptus"). www.centennialpr.com
* IUSACELL, Mexico -- Mobile broadband access ("BAM"), mobile office
("MovilOffice"), online video monitoring ("Iusacam"), online video
traffic information ("TrafiCam"), location-based services
("UBICACEL"); mobile TV ("IusaTV"), fixed wireless voice and
broadband data services to the home ("BLAST"); MMS; and multimedia
entertainment. www.iusacell.com.mx
* Movilnet Venezuela -- Mobile broadband access ("Aba Movil");
location-based services ("Donde estas"); MMS; communication,
information and entertainment services (NEO"). www.movilnet.com.ve
* Telefonica, Guatemala -- Fixed and mobile broadband access (Speedy).
http://www.telefonica.com.gt/speedy/comofunciona.html
* Teluga, Guatemala -- Suburban and rural fixed wireless voice and
broadband data connectivity. www.telgua.com.gt
* VIVO Brazil -- Mobile Internet access ("VIVO Wap"), mobile broadband
access using 1X ("VIVO Zap") or using EV-DO ("VIVO Zap 3G"); music,
video, TV, entertainment ("VIVO Play 3G"); location-based services
("VIVO Encontra"); mobile office ("Escritorio Movel"); and
push-to-talk ("VIVO Direto"). www.vivo.com.br
Operators have seen a significant uptake and positive return from these services. IUSACELL, for example, reported 66-126% higher ARPU and 4.7 to 5.3 times more post-paid subscribers than its competitors in Mexico. Movilnet in Venezuela reported that at the end of the first quarter of 2007, it had 529,000 broadband customers, a 54% increase from last year.
Leading operators, infrastructure and handset vendors, regulators and analysts are discussing the future of 3G and mobile broadband, and the benefits and evolution path to next generation CDMA2000 services at the 7th Annual 3G CDMA Regional Latin America Conference, which is taking place at the Le Meridien hotel in Cancun, Mexico, May 15 and 16th.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 215 operators in 95 countries, including 70 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, 700, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. More than 1,700 CDMA2000 devices from over 92 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 440 1xEV-DO and 26 Rev. A 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).