COSTA MESA, Calif., June 4, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that CDMA2000(r) surpassed 350 million 3G subscribers by the end of Q1 2007. Including cdmaOne(tm) 2G subscribers, there are now more than 387 million CDMA subscribers worldwide. The CDG also announced that the EV-DO subscriber base more than doubled in the past year to more than 65 million wireless broadband subscribers. The migration from 2G to 3G is occurring rapidly, with 217 CDMA2000 operators in 95 countries offering 3G services in most every major urban center and emerging market. The shipment of more than 30 million CDMA2000 devices per quarter is creating enormous economies of scale.
"CDMA2000 has reached critical mass in terms of economies of scope and scale," said Joe Lawrence, vice president of marketing at the CDG. "The proven economic value and flexibility of CDMA2000 makes it the `technology of choice' for serving the diverse needs of affluent subscribers in densely populated urban areas, as well as the basic needs of users with limited purchasing power in sparsely populated rural areas."
In the first three months of 2007, CDMA2000 operators added more than 25 million subscribers to their networks, building the subscriber base to close to 351 million users worldwide. CDMA2000 continues to grow at 100 million new users per year, adding nearly twice as many subscribers as WCDMA. The growth of CDMA2000 continues to be fueled by its superior voice quality, high-speed broadband access, lower network total cost of ownership, and the growing availability and affordability of devices and services.
CDMA2000 subscriber growth highlights by region:
* 50% annual growth in China and India, the world's two largest wireless markets: From March 2006 to March 2007, more than 46 million new CDMA2000 subscribers were added in Asia Pacific, with most of the growth coming from China and India, where 33 million new users were added. * 83% annual growth makes the Caribbean and Latin America the fastest growth region: At the end of 1Q 2007, there were 63 million CDMA2000 subscribers in the Caribbean and Latin America, including 2.6 million EV-DO users. In the four years since the first deployment, CDMA2000 has captured 20% of the market share and is the second largest technology in the region. * CDMA2000 dominates North America (U.S. and Canada) with 118 million subscribers -- 46% of the market share: The growth of CDMA2000 subscribers in North America during 1Q 2007 reached 20 percent per annum. * Developing markets account for 164 million, or 47% of the CDMA2000 market: Rural markets are playing an increasingly larger role in the growth of CDMA2000, in Latin America, South and Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice in these emerging market regions due to its economic value.
The CDG also reports that adoption of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO has exceeded industry expectations. There are now 65 million 1xEV-DO users worldwide, representing a dramatic increase of more than 35 million subscribers in the past year. At this rate, the number of 1xEV-DO subscribers should surpass the 100-million-user milestone by the end of the year.
The above data demonstrates how rapidly the industry is migrating to 3G. At the end of 1Q 2006, there were 466 million 3G (CDMA2000 and WCDMA) subscribers, 155 million of which were added in the past year. 3G now accounts for over 16% of worldwide subscribers and is on track to reach 1.2 billion users, or 41% of the market, by 2010. CDMA2000 is leading this migration from 2G to 3G; representing 73% of the total 3G market. Nearly 91% of the entire 2G and 3G CDMA subscriber base use 3G CDMA2000 services, indicating that the CDMA industry has nearly completed its migration to 3G.
More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 217 operators in 95 countries, including 72 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems, serving more than 350 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne subscribers, there are more than 387 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for developed and emerging market 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).