Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2001
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, Calif.
CDMA MAKES SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN THE AMERICAS
CDMA Operators Are First To Market With 3G Services
In The Region
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 31, 2001 - The CDMA Development Group
(CDG) (www.cdg.org) today announced that the Americas are
the largest market for CDMA technologies. In June, there were
nearly 55 million CDMA subscribers in North and South America,
representing more than 30 percent of the total wireless subscribers
in the region. And, the Americas are the fastest growth region
for CDMA technologies. Over the past year, the CDMA subscriber
base in the Americas grew by 23 million, or 74 percent.
In North America, CDMA is by far the dominant
technology with 33 percent market share. Latin America, with
more than 17 million CDMA subscribers, is the fastest growing
CDMA market, with the number of subscribers in the region
almost doubling in the past year.
"The Americas are one of the key markets for CDMA technologies
and represents tremendous potential for operators and manufacturers
across the globe," said Perry LaForge, executive director
of the CDG. "CDMA is well suited to meet the growing
demand for voice, as well as for the introduction of next-generation
services today."
CDMA operators are also leading in the deployment of advanced
services. Capitalizing on the inherent advantages of CDMA
technologies, cdmaOne operators are introducing Internet-based
services such as m-commerce, personal information management,
enterprise solutions and e-mail. For example, 38 percent of
Telesp's subscribers in Brazil have access to the advanced
services, and Telefonica in Peru is introducing 2.5G technology
based on IS-95B with speeds capable of 64kbps to support next-generation
services.
CDMA2000 will be the first 3G technology deployed both in
North and South America. In North America, Verizon, the largest
wireless operator in the U.S. will launch their "Express
Network" in 4Q of this year in key markets across the
country. Sprint PCS, Alltel, Bell Mobility, Telus and others
will follow with deployments early next year.
In South America, Telesp is launching CDMA2000 services in
early November, and four others will follow next year. What
is exciting is that there is significant interest from TDMA
operators to migrate to CDMA2000 technology. CDMA2000 offers
a sound solution for TDMA operators, who are currently evaluating
their 3G migration paths, especially in South America. Since
CDMA2000 can be deployed in the existing spectrum and without
major modifications to TDMA core networks, these operators
can economically offer 3G services now. In addition, CDMA2000
is the only 3G technology commercially available in 800MHz
band today.