ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 3, 1997 - - Based on numerous cdmaOne launches throughout Canada in 1997 by the country’s leading wireless carriers, the CDMA Development Group today announced a rapid expansion of cdmaOne networks throughout Canada, exceeding all expectations. Canadian operators, including BC TEL Mobility, Bell Mobility and Clearnet, are providing a comprehensive cdmaOne national footprint (See Table I for cdmaOne launches in Canada).

Today’s announcement was made at the CDMA North American Regional Congress held in Orlando, Florida, December 3-4, 1997 at the Peabody Hotel.

"Operators in Canada have adopted cdmaOne for a number of reasons -- cdmaOne integrates well into existing mobile systems and provides a cost-effective way of upgrading their networks," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "In addition, cdmaOne provides the Canadian market with a significant increase in capacity, offering operators the most economical solution compared to competing wireless technologies. Additional advantages offered by cdmaOne include its inherent ability to provide superior voice quality and data capabilities. By all accounts, Canada’s cdmaOne operators are dominating because of superior service and overall quality of their cdmaOne systems."

Recent reports in Canada have validated cdmaOne advantages. The Toronto Star * recently reported on newly launched Canadian cdmaOne systems in its Consumer Guide To Wireless Phones. The paper reported the CDMA "had the best sound quality. Of all platforms, it is said to be the most difficult to hack into and eavesdrop upon. Battery life is the longest... the battery was sometimes left on for a full day before a charge was needed." In contrast, the report characterized the sound of TDMA as "often poor, resembling something like the computer burps of a robot."

Brian O’Shaughnessy, Vice President of Technology Development at Bell Mobility said, "Our cdmaOne deployment has been a remarkable success. Bell Mobility dealers were pleasantly surprised when cdmaOne customers returned to the store to thank them for selling such a great product. This response was quite a contrast to the negative comments we received from customers
when Bell Mobility introduced US TDMA a few years ago. Our decision to replace US TDMA with cdmaOne was obviously the right one!"

Wade Oosterman, vice president of marketing at Clearnet, said, "Clearnet PCS clients across Canada are enjoying the benefits of cdmaOne, including unsurpassed voice quality, superior call security and greatly enhanced battery performance. The advantages of cdmaOne are a core part of the overwhelming response to Clearnet PCS across the nation."

"The commitment to cdmaOne by North American operators clearly demonstrates cdmaOne’s ability to meet operators’ needs by providing superior voice quality, increased capacity and improved network performance," added LaForge. "And with the breakthrough of cdmaOne dual-mode phones, Canada’s cdmaOne operators truly have a real time to market advantage over their competitors, and also offer their customers a nationwide coverage footprint from day one."

Table I — cdmaOne Deployments in Canada

Carrier	Coverage Area
BC TEL Mobility	Vancouver and east of Hope, Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver Island from Nanaimo to Victoria
Bell Mobility	Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Hamilton
Clearnet	Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Hamilton, Calgary

* Toronto Star, October 30, 1997 "A Consumer Guide To Wireless Products"