CDMA2000 IS A COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION TO PROVIDE ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SERVICES IN RURAL MARKETS

 CDMA2000 Offers Telephony, Broadband Internet and Multimedia Access to Remote Areas

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COSTA MESA, Calif., Sept. 20, 2006 — The CDMA Development Group (CDG) (www.cdg.org) today reported that more than 150 operators around the world use CDMA2000^® 3G technologies to serve rural markets with advanced communication services. CDMA2000 is an ideal platform for these markets because it provides greater coverage with low frequency transmissions, supports voice and high-seed data communication, and offers a broad selection of devices, including low-cost handsets.

“Residents and businesses in rural areas desire access to affordable mobile services just like everyone else,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. “CDMA2000 is the technology of choice among rural operators to enable affordable telephony, high-speed Internet and multimedia access to remote areas that have a low population density and often limited purchasing power. As a result, CDMA2000 technology is helping fulfill the promise of bridging the digital divide in many regions of the world.”

CDMA2000 is connecting residents and businesses in rural markets to telephone and Internet services in every continent of the world; for example, through 3G services offered by Starcomm Nigeria in Africa, Sky Link in Russia, Tata Teleservices in India, Telstra in Australia, Valtron in Peru, Embark in North America and Nordisk Mobiltelefon in Norway.

Existing CDMA2000 cellular spectrum allocations and extended range base stations maximize coverage which is critical towards addressing the demanding business case for providing rural mobile communications. When compared to technologies that use frequencies above 1 GHz, CDMA2000 networks operating in the lower 450 and 800 MHz spectrum bands allow for greater range, less cell sites, better in-building penetration, better mobile performance, less power consumption, higher capacity, and higher average data throughputs. Using the lower frequency bands is preferable for providing affordable universal access to voice communications, Internet access and multimedia services in rural markets.

For low voice (200 minutes of use per month) and data usage (5 megabytes per month) in sparsely populated areas (31 subs per square mile), CDMA2000 at 800 MHz requires one-seventh, one-third, and one-half the number of cell sites required by WiMAX at 2,500MHz, GSM/EDGE at 900MHz and WCDMA/HSDPA at 2,100 MHz, respectively. This enables operators to meet their universal service obligations more economically and offer valuable and government sanctioned services such as distance learning, telemedicine and public safety more effectively.

CDMA2000 also is the technology that will sustain its lower cost basis through the deployment of flexible, scalable, and backwards compatible All-IP networks. The spectral efficiency of CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A with an All-IP architecture reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a network, improves performance, and enables faster deployments. According to the Signals Research Group, Rev A over a packet switched All-IP core can increase network capacity by 10 to 30 percent, eliminate unnecessary circuit switched network elements and reduce transportation costs by up to 50 percent. This savings results in a TCO reduction of more than 30 percent over a 10 year period versus a traditional 3G network that utilizes a separate voice and data network.

Combined with fewer cell sites, reduced operating costs, and a large selection of affordable handsets, the CDMA2000 solution offers a compelling solution for rural communications, including in developing countries.

More information on CDMA2000 is available at www.cdg.org.

About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is the most widely deployed 3G technology, with 166 operators in 73 countries, including 46 CDMA2000 1x-EV-DO systems, serving more than 275 million subscribers.  Counting 2G cdmaOne™ subscribers, there are more than 335 million CDMA users worldwide.  CDMA2000 has become the technology of choice for cdmaOne, TDMA, analog and greenfield operators, and is deployed in the 450, 800, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. Nearly 1,250 CDMA2000 devices from more than 80 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 280 1xEV-DO devices.  More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.

About CDG
The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA2000 technologies. The more than 130 member companies of the CDG include many of the world’s largest wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers. The primary activities of the CDG include development of CDMA2000 features and services, public relations, education and seminars, regulatory affairs and international support. Currently, there are more than 500 individuals working within various CDG subcommittees on CDMA2000-related matters. For more information about the CDG, contact the CDG News Bureau at +1-714-540-1030, or visit the CDG Web site at www.cdg.org.

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Note to editors
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