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Over 100 Million UMTS/HSPA Mobile Broadband Subscriptions Added Year-Over-Year
GSM/HSPA Passes Milestone in October With Half a Billion Subscriptions in Western Hemisphere
| Source: 3G Americas
BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwire - November 20, 2008) - 3G Americas, a wireless industry trade
association representing the GSM family of technologies including LTE,
today reports that 3G UMTS/HSPA mobile broadband technology continues its
momentum throughout the world, adding more than 100
million subscriptions in the twelve months ending in the third quarter
2008 -- achieving a significant milestone in subscriber additions. At the
end of third quarter 2008, global
GSM/HSPA wireless subscriptions were nearly 3.4 billion adding 688
million new subscriptions for the GSM family of technologies in one year
and capturing an 88.5% share of market, according to industry research
firm, Informa Telecoms & Media.
In the Western Hemisphere, the number of GSM/HSPA subscriptions continued
to grow at an explosive rate, having reached 499
million subscriptions at the end of the third quarter and then passing
the half a billion milestone in October. CDMA technologies registered 463
million total subscriptions worldwide as of third quarter 2008, according
to the CDMA Development Group. In comparison, there are more GSM/HSPA
connections in the Americas region than CDMA narrowband connections
worldwide. The GSM family of technologies represents 69% share
of market in North, Central and South America, and registered annual
growth of 115 million subscriptions at the end of September 2008, an annual
growth rate of 30%. Informa forecasts more than 628 million GSM/HSPA
subscriptions in the Americas region by the end of 2010.
GSM operators throughout the Americas region continue to evolve their
networks to UMTS/HSPA. To date, there are 39 commercial UMTS/HSPA networks
in the Americas region in 19 countries. Worldwide, there are more than 256
commercial UMTS/HSPA networks in over 100 countries. Furthermore, these
network operators have the choice of providing customers any number of the
more than 950 UMTS/HSPA wireless devices that have been commercially
launched.
"As evidenced by the subscriber growth numbers, the GSM family of
technologies continues to provide the four key ingredients for mobile
wireless success: Coverage, Technology Performance, Devices and
Applications," stated Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "The
UMTS/HSPA mobile broadband technology achieved a total of 262 million
subscriptions at the end of September 2008, continuing in its ranking as
the leader in high speed mobile broadband technology worldwide."
Wireless technologies in Latin
America continue to expand tremendously with a total of 378 million
GSM/HSDPA subscriptions and 87% share of market. CDMA subscriptions
continue to decline and totaled 45 million as of 3Q 2008, down from 56
million one year earlier and now representing only 10% share of market.
"It's remarkable what has occurred in the transition of the GSM family of
technologies to mobile broadband in Latin America and the Caribbean in only
ten years," commented Erasmo Rojas, Director of Latin America and the
Caribbean. "In 1998, the first GSM network was deployed in the region, it
took only five years before EDGE was commercially deployed in Chile in
2003, and three years later the first commercial UMTS/HSPA network was also
deployed in Chile. In 2008, to complete this amazing 3G uptake, HSUPA was
deployed in Uruguay and Brazil. Moving the needle from zero GSM subscribers
in 1998, there were more than 377 million GSM/HSPA subscribers by the third
quarter 2008. In less than two years the Latin America region has
deployments of 36
commercial UMTS/HSPA networks in 17 countries."
"Equally impressive is the uptake of 3G services throughout the region
driven by the phenomenal success of the HSPA-enabled USB dongle as a
competitive fixed broadband alternative, both on speed and price. In many
cases, it is indeed the only available broadband connection," continued
Rojas.
For more information and to see a variety of statistical charts on the GSM
family of technologies, visit www.3gamericas.org.
About Informa Telecoms & Media
Informa Telecoms & Media provides business intelligence and strategic
services to the global telecoms and media markets. All of our products and
services -- from news, trend analysis and forecasting to industry data,
face-to-face events and training -- are driven by our deep understanding of
the markets we serve and by our goal to help our clients make better
business decisions. www.informatm.com
About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology
3G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of
telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's
mission is to promote and facilitate the seamless deployment throughout the
Americas of the GSM family of technologies, including LTE. 3G Americas has
contributed to the successful commercial rollout of GSM across the Americas
and its place as the number one technology in the region, as well as the
global adoption of EDGE. The organization aims to develop the expansive
wireless ecosystem of networks, devices, and applications enabled by GSM
and its evolution to LTE. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, WA
with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Dallas, Texas. More
information is available at www.3gamericas.org.