CDMA Trying to Pick up Steam

[Barry]

CDMA Development Group said it now counts 39 GSM operators that either have deployed or are deploying CDMA2000 networks for voice and data services. CDMA is trying to win back some fans after more statistics that indicate GSM is gaining in popularity.

The dev group attributed the move in part to carriers in emerging markets, noting that building a CDMA2000 network in the 450 MHz and 800 MHz frequency bands is significantly less expensive than deploying other wireless technologies in higher frequency bands. The group said GSM operators in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Africa, India, Indonesia and the Middle East are deploying CDMA2000-based technology.

CDMA-based technology has had a hard time gaining momentum in emerging markets since it is typically more expensive than GSM. However, CDMA backers have long claimed that CDMA technology offers a less expensive upgrade path as carriers morph their networks from 2G to 3G. In addition, CDMA vendors have indicated that carriers’ operating costs can be reduced because CDMA networks require less spectrum and power than GSM-based networks due to the design of CDMA technology.

“There are approximately 340 million CDMAOne, CDMA2000 and CDMA 1xEVDO users in the world, compared to 2.1 billion GSM, GPRS, EDGE and 3GSM (W-CDMA) users today,” stated Mark Smith, spokesman for the GSM Association. “The debate over which will be the global technology path is over.”

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