CDMA2000 Wireless Leads in Latin America

30th June , 2004

US : The CDMA Development Group (CDG) reported that CDMA2000 continues to lead in the delivery of high-speed wireless data access to users in Latin America. This past month, four operators in the region, in Bermuda, Brazil, Guatemala, and Venezuela, launched or announced plans to deploy CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology, which is capable of delivering data speeds of up to 3.01 Mbps.

“3G wireless technologies are revolutionizing access to the Internet, and CDMA2000 is at the forefront of this movement,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. “CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is the most advanced wireless data technology deployed today, delivering high-speed data services and broadband Internet access to millions of users around the world. There are nearly seven million DO today and we anticipate that this number will grow exponentially in coming months, driven by increased demand and new deployments.”

CDMA2000 technologies are widely deployed across Latin America, with 28 operators in 16 countries, and now many of the CDMA2000 1X operators are introducing high-speed data services with an easy upgrade to 1xEV-DO. Last month, BellSouth in Guatemala launched the service, becoming the first country in Central America to deploy a 1xEV-DO network. VIVO, the largest operator in the region, announced a CDMA2000 1xEV-DO trial in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo targeting business customers. Bermuda Digital Communications Ltd. is upgrading its CDMA2000 1X network to 1xEV-DO, and Venezuela’s Cantv announced that it will introduce 1xEV-DO services to their mobile Movilnet subscribers before the end of the year, and offer internet access to its fixed wireless users in the future.

CDMA2000 1xEV-DO has been commercial since January 2002; there are nine 1xEV-DO networks across Asia, North America and Latin America today, and four more are scheduled to deploy this year. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO delivers average data rates of 300-600 kbps and supports advanced data applications such as MP3 transfers, video conferencing, TV broadcasts, video and audio downloads. A number of operators have deployed it to provide high-speed Internet access to previously underserved areas.

CDMA2000 leads in 3G deployments worldwide, with more than 85 million users and 87 operators in 43 countries across six continents. CDMA2000 has 97 percent market share for 3G services. Over 42 percent of the global CDMA subscriber base uses CDMA2000 networks.

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