BEIJING, April 15, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today highlighted the growing importance of China Telecom to the 3G CDMA industry, citing its rapid EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) network deployment, vast device selection, extensive list of services and remarkable subscriber growth.
"With the issuance of 3G CDMA licenses and China Telecom assuming ownership of the existing CDMA2000® network, mobile broadband has taken flight in China," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "By embracing the technology and rapidly deploying 3G services across its nationwide CDMA2000 1X and EV-DO Rev. A networks, China Telecom has lead the way for 3G in China and assumed a position of global leadership within the telecommunications industry."
In 2009, China Telecom doubled its subscriber base from 28 million to 56 million, and is now adding 100 thousand subscribers per day, or more than 3 million subscribers per month. The operator also completed the largest and fastest network deployment ever, bringing its e-surfing EV-DO Rev. A mobile broadband service to 284 cities in just nine months. The rapid network expansion, now covering over 500 cities, has been complemented by an unparalleled selection of over 600 CDMA2000 handsets and a wide range of data devices. China Telecom has 5.14 million 3G mobile broadband subscribers and intends to surpass 100 million total wireless customers by the end of 2010, which will make it the largest CDMA2000 operator in the world.
According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China's Internet user base grew by 84 million in 2009 alone, while the mobile Internet user base nearly doubled for the second straight year. As a result, almost 61 percent of all Internet users in China are doing so on mobile devices, yet the country currently only has 16 million 3G subscribers. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) for China points out that this is about to change rapidly, predicting that the number of 3G subscribers in China will grow to 500 million over the next three years. Of those, the MIIT predicts that over 40 percent will be EV-DO subscribers, creating economies of scale for 3G CDMA that will drive the industry for years to come.
This growth will be fueled by China Telecom investing US$11.7 billion to expand and optimize its CDMA2000 network through 2011, and by continuing to expand its sale channels and offer a broader range of devices and services to its subscribers. The operator established a CDMA2000 Handset Alliance with over 100 companies, currently sources devices from over 80 manufacturers and complements this device selection with a robust application store and an "Open Abilities" development program.
The effect of this growth on the global CDMA2000 ecosystem will be dramatic. The device selection China Telecom is creating will expand to emerging markets, such as Africa and Southeast Asia, reducing handset costs and enabling mobile Internet penetration. China Telecom's commitment to the CDMA2000 long-term technology roadmap will also drive network evolutions such as 1X Advanced and EV-DO Revision B (Rev. B) for increased network capacity and performance.
For more information about the CDG and CDMA2000, visit www.cdg.org.
About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a widely deployed 3G technology, with 311 operators in 117 countries and territories serving 518 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne™ subscribers, there are over 522 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is a widely-deployed 3G CDMA (IMT-2000) solution offering mobile broadband to over 142 million people across a wide range of devices. CDMA2000 has been chosen by operators in both developed and emerging markets, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900, AWS and 2100 MHz bands. More than 2,320 CDMA2000 devices from over 124 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 550 Rel. 0 and 225 Rev. A devices on 115 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 and 83 Rev. A systems. 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 and other complementary wireless solutions. Its member companies include many of the world's leading service providers and equipment manufacturers. The primary activities of the CDG include development of advanced features and services, evolution of standards, technical education, advocacy, regulatory affairs, global roaming and device availability. Currently, there are more than 500 individuals working within various CDG industry initiatives.
The CDG logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2911
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