WCDMA and GSM lead growth of mobility infrastructure market

February 21, 2006

Dell'Oro Group reported that the total mobility infrastructure equipment market grew 7 percent during 2005 reaching $40.1 billion, the highest level attained in a calendar year. The market posted an 8 percent sequential gain in the fourth quarter of 2005, on strong sales of WCDMA and GSM-based equipment.

"The strength in the fourth quarter was due in part to robust sales of WCDMA infrastructure, which increased by 30 percent over the third quarter and now comprises 17 percent of the total mobility infrastructure market," said Greg Collins, Senior Director of Mobility Infrastructure Research. "WCDMA grew in every region of the world as operators improved coverage, including in North America, which accounted for 7 percent of WCDMA sales during the quarter. In addition, strong subscriber growth continues to fuel the market for GSM-based infrastructure which grew by 9 percent sequentially to reach $6.7 billion in the fourth quarter," he added.

The report also shows that the market for CDMA-based infrastructure contracted by 10 percent during the fourth quarter 2005, partly because of slow sales in North America as the coverage phase of the DO upgrade cycle nears its end. In addition, spending was sluggish in Asia Pacific, especially in China, as carriers await new license awards for 3G data services.