CDG: CDMA Service Grows in China
June 4, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
Code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless service grew in China, according to the CDMA Development Group (CDG).
Aided in part by the increased availability of smartphones, Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW)-enabled entry-level handsets and a rise in the number of dual-mode handsets, the demand for CDMA wireless services grew by almost 20% last year, said the CDG.
The competition between CDMA and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) helped drive the growth that is being witnessed by China's wireless industry, said the CDG.
As of March 2008, there were more than 42.8 million CDMA subscribers in the country with 35% of the CDMA handsets sold in the Chinese market priced below 350 RMB (about $50 U.S. dollar (USD)).
Another 40% of CDMA handsets sold in China cost between 350 and 700 RMB (about $50-$100 USD).
Around 5 million of the 6.5 million CDMA handsets manufactured per month in the country are exported.
During 2007, CDMA wireless value-added service usage grew 19.3%, which the CDG attributes to the affordability of data packages and availability of BREW capabilities for delivering mobile data services at a reduced rate - 94% of CDMA2000 phones in China are BREW-enabled.
Up to 78% of CDMA handsets have a color display, 21% have built-in MP3 players, 21% of phones have a built-in camera and 12% of them are dual-mode (CDMA and GSM) WorldMode phones.
Additionally, China's mobile Internet user base increased to more than 50 million users, said the CDG.
Source: CDMA Development Group (CDG).