EV-DO Rev. A Continues to Expand Global Mobile Broadband Reach

(Top News, 12 Sep 2008)

CDMA2000 operators, particularly those with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) networks, are continuing to see tremendous success with their wireless data offerings, bringing advanced mobile broadband services to a rapidly-growing list of markets around the world, according to the CDMA Development Group (CDG). Rev. A is delivering on the promise of 3G by providing users an affordable solution for high-speed Internet access and mobile services and enabling operators to build and fortify profitable business models. CDMA2000 delivers some of the highest ARPUs in the industry and positions these operators for success as they look to complement these assets and services with mobile broadcast and next-generation broadband technologies such as LTE and Mobile WiMAX.

In the U.S., Verizon's total data ARPU is up to $12.58, representing 24.4 percent of their total ARPU and a CAGR of 31.3 percent. The ARPU generated by Sprint's CDMA2000 subscribers increased by 21 percent year-over-year to $14, representing 21.43 percent of their total ARPU.

In Japan, KDDI continues to see wireless data ARPUs exceeding $20. LG Telecom, on its part, increased its ARPU by 18 percent since launching Rev. A.

In Europe and Russia, CDMA450 operators are seeing ARPUs well above $50. For example, Telefonica 02's non-SMS data ARPU now accounts for 43 percent of its total ARPU in the Czech Republic. Since launching EV-DO in Russia, Skylink's profits from high-speed broadband data services increased from 7 percent to 35 percent. In Norway, Rev. A is helping Nordisk Mobiltelefon get a 100 percent return on their investment in less than two years with only 100,000 subscribers.

In Latin America, Centennial's ARPU from its Rev. A network is one of the highest in Puerto Rico, reaching $65 in a market where the average for its competitors hovers in the $50s. Centennial's rising data revenue is around $7.50 per user on a monthly basis.

In Africa, Starcomm's Rev. A subscribers in Nigeria generate in excess of $80 ARPU—more than three times higher than $24.25, which is the combined revenue generated from voice and data from its average subscribers.

"Mobile broadband has transformed the way the world connects, and Rev. A has proven to be the best-performing high-speed wireless connectivity solution available," says Perry LaForge, Executive Director of the CDG. "From conducting business on the road to social networking to multimedia entertainment, CDMA2000 continues to give operators the leverage to deliver new services that are revolutionizing productivity and mobile lifestyles. Rev. A has also helped to bridge the digital divide in emerging markets, delivering access to personal telephony and the Internet in areas where it was previously too expensive to do so with wires."

Global Rev. A network deployments and subscriber adoption continue to grow dramatically. 44 operators have launched Rev. A services and another 35 are in the process of deploying the technology. Up to 19 EV-DO operators have gone straight to Rev. A, bypassing the interim EV-DO Release 0 (Rel. 0) deployment phase, as increased economies of scale for Rev. A devices and network equipment deliver better end-user performance at a lower cost. Another 21 operators are following this trend, using Rev. A as their first mobile broadband service offering.

Many Rev. A networks are being deployed in emerging markets where Internet access does not exist or is cost-prohibitive. Of the 44 worldwide commercial Rev. A networks, 22 are in emerging markets, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq (where all three Iraqi networks offer commercial Rev. A services), Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Togo.

In North America, there are 13 operators offering commercial Rev. A-based services, with another eight in deployment. In Latin America and the Caribbean, there are six commercial Rev. A networks and eight in deployment. There are currently 68 commercial Rev. A devices from 28 suppliers, including PC modem cards, USB thumb drives, mobile notebooks, tablet PCs, Wi-Fi routers, machine-to-machine connections, embedded modules, wireless desktop phones, smartphones, multimedia handsets and touchscreen communicators.

Click here for more information on the Rev. A technology


RELATED ARTICLES

EV-DO Mobile Broadband Tops 100mn Subscribers Worldwide

CDG Announces 2008 3G CDMA North America Regional Conference On the Future of Wireless Broadband Services and Applications

CDMA Open Market Handset Trials Reach Successful Conclusion in Indonesia

Open Market Handset Proof of Concept Trials Reach Successful Conclusion in India

CDMA2000 Subscribership in Vietnam Up 230%

CDMA Dominates Ultra Low-cost Handset Market in India