CDMA Proves to Be Best Technology for Asia Pacific Region

HONG KONG, Nov. 9, 1998 - - With more than 16 million worldwide subscribers, the CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that cdmaOne* global subscribers will reach approximately 20 million by year's end. Now present in 38 countries, cdmaOne has more than tripled its worldwide subscriber count within the last year, making it the fastest growing wireless standard to date.

"With more than 11 million subscribers in Asia, and now with CDMA significantly present in the Australian region, cdmaOne has proven to be the best technology for the region for both operators and consumers. cdmaOne offers consumers superior voice quality, longer battery life, and unprecedented security features. For operators, cdmaOne offers significant deployment advantages over other technologies-- it is the only digital technology that allows operators to revise existing cell sites, therefore eliminating the proliferation of sites throughout the region," said Perry LaForge, executive director for the CDG. "Furthermore, as the wireless industry evolves towards third generation (3G) services, cdmaOne operators are well positioned because the technology provides a seamless, cost-effective migration path using existing spectrum."

Asia dominates the cdmaOne subscriber base with Australia, Korea, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines playing an increasing role in the region's subscriber growth. In addition, North America has experienced a six fold growth rate with 4.5 million subscribers. Latin America and Australia are also expected to significantly enhance the subscriber numbers as cdmaOne mobile and WLL systems are deployed throughout the regions.

"cdmaOne global subscriber growth continues to exceed our expectations, making it the fastest growing wireless technology. Future growth is expected to be fueled by the deployment of cdmaOne mobile and fixed networks, especially in the Asia Pacific region," added LaForge.