CDG congratulates Telefonica on 1xEV-DO launch in Venezuela

December 21, 2005

The CDMA Development Group (CDG) congratulated Telefonica Moviles on its commercial deployment of 3G CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services across major markets in Venezuela. Under the brand name "Play 3G," the operator will offer its customers broadband wireless multimedia services. This represents the carrier's fourth EV-DO deployment in the region.

"1xEV-DO is the most advanced wireless data technology commercially deployed today, offering operators a significant time-to-market advantage in capitalizing on the growing demand for data services," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDMA Development Group.

1xEV-DO services have become a significant revenue generator for operators; for example, data accounts for 31% of an SK Telecom 1xEV-DO subscriber's monthly bill.

First launched in 2002, 1xEV-DO has been rapidly expanding worldwide. Today, there are 30 commercial networks and 36 more are being deployed across the Americas, Asia and Europe, including 12 commercial and 9 in deployment in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The worldwide subscriber base will exceed 25 million in 2005. There are currently 150 1xEV-DO devices ranging from handsets with advanced functionality to PDAs and PC cards.