Wireless

September 8, 2004
CDMA2000 marks 3G leadership, crosses 100 million subscribers

UNTIED STATES -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) recently announced that the number of CDMA2000 subscribers worldwide had exceeded 100 million. At the end of June, over 112 million people across all continents used the technology to make voice calls or to access the Internet and advanced data services. Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG, said: "The global CDMA2000 community should be very proud to reach this significant milestone in such a short time. The commercial success of CDMA2000 services is a ringing endorsement of the ITU's 3G vision, and we can all share in the celebration."

The phenomenal growth in CDMA2000 users can be attributed to the rapid deployment of CDMA2000 networks worldwide, the availability of a wide range of devices across all price points, and high demand for the advanced data services being offered by CDMA2000 operators. Eight-nine operators in 45 countries use CDMA2000 today, with 36 more launches scheduled by the end of the year. Over 650 CDMA2000 devices have been introduced in the market, ranging from low-cost mobile phones to high-end devices with advanced functionalities. Capitalizing on the high-speed data capabilities of CDMA2000 technologies, operators have further introduced a host of innovative services and applications to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers and enterprise users.

Besides delivering voice and data services in developed countries, CDMA2000 has also enhanced the lives of many in rural and underdeveloped areas, providing affordable access to telephones and the Internet where previously there was none.

Industry accolades
Accolades from the industry were forthcoming. Jacques Robichon, vice president, Wireless Network, Engineering & Operations, Bell Mobility, said: "The growth in the popularity and use of 1X technology comes as no surprise to Bell Mobility. Our network strength allows us to continue to innovate and deliver efficient mobile applications, like location-based services and picture messaging. We know our customers are among the happiest in the industry -- our churn consistently averages around one percent, the lowest in North America."

Tadashi Onodera, president, KDDI, said: "CDMA2000 has proven to be the most advanced technology for providing true 3G services to global subscribers. The cost effectiveness and time-to-market associated with this technology has demonstrated successful results for carriers and greatly enhanced our service offering in Japan. In just over two years since our launch of CDMA2000, KDDI has amassed more than 15 million CDMA2000 subscribers."

Don McGuire, vice president of Global Marketing and North American Sales, Kyocera Wireless Corp., noted: "Kyocera Wireless builds handsets exclusively on the CDMA platform, so we are very excited to see the CDMA2000 subscriber base growing so quickly. CDMA provides the reliability, performance and security that make it a perfect technology solution for our devices."

Mike Iandolo, vice president of CDMA product management, Lucent Technologies' Mobility Solutions Group, said: "Working together with the entire CDMA community, it is particularly exciting to see the benefits CDMA2000 brings to our customers in terms of increased opportunity for service differentiation, and the ability to introduce compelling new services that directly benefit businesses and consumers. As the world's leading CDMA2000 spread-spectrum infrastructure supplier and one of the first vendors to support CDMA, we are looking forward to helping service providers around the world bring IP-based voice, data and video services to the next 100 million users of CDMA2000 spread-spectrum technology."

Steve Searles, vice president, marketing and sales, CDMA/TDMA, Nortel Networks, added: "Over our nine-year legacy in deploying CDMA around the world, Nortel Networks has set a benchmark for network performance and has been a leading driver of technology innovation. We are very proud to have contributed to this milestone 100 million subscriber achievement, and to recognize how this technology has revolutionized the communications industry."

Jeff Jacobs, president of Global Development, Qualcomm, noted: "Qualcomm applauds the CDMA community in achieving this marquee milestone of reaching more than 100 million CDMA2000 subscribers around the globe. In less than four years, the CDMA industry has been able to accelerate the 3G market and we look forward to bringing even more technology innovation in the coming months."

Dr. Jae Byun, vice president, head of Network Planning division, SK Telecom, added: "Congratulations on the 100 million subscriber milestone; this is a great achievement for the entire CDMA community. As South Korea's leading mobile operator, CDMA2000 has allowed us to maintain and consolidate our leading position in the Korean market for wireless services, including voice, data and Internet services. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO has also improved our data transmission rates and service quality, while enabling us to offer an increased range of 3G services."

Steve Falk, vice president, Global Development, Sprint, said: "With more than 40 percent of Sprint customers now using wireless data, our own subscriber base speaks volumes for the popularity of advanced services like pictures, ringers, screensavers and full-color, graphically-rich games delivered by CDMA2000. Sprint is seeing a substantial and steadily increasing demand for Sprint PCS Vision services that underscores the success of CDMA2000 reaching the 100 million subscriber milestone worldwide."

Luis Avelar, vice president of marketing and innovation, Vivo, added: "Vivo congratulates the CDMA community on its 100 million subscribers. We are excited that consumers around the world have embraced CDMA2000 as its 3G technology of choice. We will continue to deliver innovative solutions that surpass each subscriber's expectations."

Contact:
CDG
Tel: +1-714-540-1030
www.cdg.org