HONG KONG, Dec. 4, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that the Asia Pacific (APAC) region continues its global leadership in CDMA subscriber growth and network deployments. Claiming 49% of the world's CDMA subscribership, APAC has witnessed network expansions and deployments in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Mongolia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Representatives from across the CDMA ecosystem will discuss these topics and more at the Mobility World Congress and Exhibition, taking place December 4-7 in Hong Kong.
"Due to its outstanding performance and flexibility, CDMA has made a big impact in the APAC region," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "Across the board, the region has been one grand case study on how to fully achieve the full potential of CDMA. From the remote islands of Indonesia to the densely populated city of Tokyo, CDMA is delivering a multitude of affordable services, from crystal clear fixed wireless telephony to full-motion multimedia broadcasting."
From Q3 2006 to Q3 2007, APAC witnessed a 32% increase of its CDMA footprint, bringing the region to 49% of CDMA subscribers worldwide. While CDMA expanded across the whole of Asia, most of the growth occurred in several key geographies.
After a successful bid for 3G licensing in Macau, China Unicom will roll-out its first 3G CDMA2000(r) 1xEV-DO high-speed broadband data network there. Similarly, PCCW-HKT Telephone won a 15-year CDMA2000 license from the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA), Hong Kong's telecoms regulator, to operate CDMA2000 in the 800 MHz band. PCCW is the largest and most comprehensive provider of communications services in Hong Kong, and the operator will use its all-IP CDMA2000 network to converge their fixed-line, broadband Internet, pay-TV, media content and large-scale IT business services.
In South Korea, LG Telecom is well into the final stages of its nationwide 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) upgrade. The process began several months ago in greater Seoul and is nearly complete in 84 cities, covering 93% of South Korea's population. Rev. A is expected to deliver advanced mobile broadband services more effectively than WiBRO and HSDPA.
Smart Telecom also recently launched a state-of-the-art CDMA2000 network in Indonesia using the 1900 MHz band. By the end of 2007, the operator plans to upgrade to Rev. A, and will be the first Indonesian service provider to offer advanced mobile broadband services.
G-Mobile in Mongolia and Dialog Telekom in Sri Lanka launched CDMA450 networks in their respective markets. G-Mobile is offering both 1X voice and 1xEV-DO mobile broadband data services, while Dialog Telekom is offering wireless local loop (WLL) telecommunication services using 1X technology.
In Vietnam, SK Telecom has witnessed tremendous success with its investment in S-Fone, Vietnam's first CDMA service. The operator now claims more than three million subscribers in the region. The service covers all 64 provinces, with EV-DO service in five of its major cities. SK Telecom aims to help S-Fone increase its Vietnamese market share to more than 20 percent in the coming years -- aided in large part by CDMA's vast economies of scale.
India's CDMA2000 subscriber base continues to grow at a record-breaking pace, surpassing 52.5 million fixed and mobile device users in October 2007. The CDG attributes this high rate of growth to CDMA's clear communications, accessibility to new and affordable differentiated data services, further network expansion into rural areas, the availability of highly-capable very low-end (VLE) devices and effective marketing campaigns.
More information on CDMA is available at www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 243 operators in 99 countries, including 81 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO systems, serving more than 400 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne(tm) subscribers, there are more than 420 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for developed and emerging market operators, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. More than 1,800 CDMA2000 devices from over 92 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 483 1xEV-DO and 40 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.
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cdmaOne is a registered trademark of the CDMA Development Group. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.