CDMA2000 3G Broadband Enters China, India
March 7, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
CDMA2000 will enter into its next phase of growth in 2009 as operators in China and India begin to offer third generation (3G) fixed and wireless services, according to the CDMA Development Group (CDG).
China Telecom offers CDMA2000 1X services and plans to launch evolution-data optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) mobile broadband in 324 cities nationwide during the first half of 2009, according to CDG.
To attain its stated goals of gaining a 15% share of China's mobile market and achieving profitability in three years, China Telecom plans to increase its CDMA2000 customer base from 30 million to more than 100 million within the next two to three years.
The operator will spend more than $11.7 billion on CDMA network expansion and optimization over the period to support this growth, said CDG representatives.
China's mobile Internet user base recently passed the 50 million user mark, representing less than 4% of the population. As 90% of all Internet users in China are also mobile users, there is growth potential for China Telecom since its 3G network will be optimized for economical, high-speed broadband performance, according to CDG.
The operator will also be able to leverage its existing landline business and expand its market share by offering a combination of fixed and mobile broadband data services to China's large and underserved population.
In India, CDMA operators offer voice, messaging and data services using CDMA2000 1X and will upgrade their networks to EV-DO Rev. A to deliver broadband Internet access and wireless data services.
Despite the challenges presented by limited spectrum availability, CDMA2000 operators in India seek to capitalize on the subscription growth, where almost half a billion new wireless phone users are expected in India over the next five years, experts said. The proposed implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) is expected to aid the growth of CDMA2000 subscribers in India's market.
According to CDG, the entrance of competitive 3G services into these two markets will help fortify the CDMA2000 ecosystem, accelerate the global migration from second generation (2G) to 3G and help drive evolutionary enhancements to CDMA2000 1X and EV-DO.
Source: CDMA Development Group (CDG).