ASIA : The CDMA Development Group (CDG) announced today that the eighth annual 3G World Congress, scheduled for November 3-7, 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand, is organized to become the ultimate gathering of international wireless carriers and CDMA infrastructure providers.

Many of the world's leading wireless executives will participate in this year's event. Confirmed speakers include Tadashi Onodera, president, KDDI Corporation; Dr. Irwin Jacobs, chairman of the board and CEO, Qualcomm Incorporated; and Len J. Lauer, president, PCS Division, Sprint Corporation.

The theme of the 2003 3G World Congress is "Building a sustainable and profitable mobile business with 3G." Topics will include 3G wireless market and investment issues, technology advancements, infrastructure and device developments, planning and optimization strategies, and service and application updates. Special interest sessions will be held on the fundamentals of 3G technologies, techniques for building compelling mobile applications, revenue enhancement strategies, and 3G technology evaluation, planning and deployment.

"3G networks are commercially available around the world, enabling millions of customers to access the latest, most advanced services and applications, and generating substantial revenue for their providers," said Perry LaForge, executive director, CDG. "The 3G World Congress offers a venue where carriers, regulators, manufacturers and content developers can gather to share the latest information on their experiences, successes and challenges in delivering 3G. Conference presentations, workshops and exhibitions will give delegates insight into the many technical and business opportunities available."

The 3G World Congress is supported by leading companies in the wireless industry, including senior sponsors Alcatel, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, Qualcomm, Siemens Mobile and ZTE. Participating sponsors include BREW (Qualcomm Internet Services), Detecon, LCC, Lightbridge, NEC, Nokia, Oracle, Superconductor Technologies and ZTE.

This year's event, to be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, is organized by the Institute for International Research (IIR) and held in association with the CDG and UMTS Forum.

The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA technologies. The 110 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 CDMA 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 CDMA-related matters.