CDMA450 Trials Begin in Brazil

Lucent Technologies has announced it is conducting a trial of commercial CDMA450 technology in Brazil in conjunction with Anatel, the federal communications agency in Brazil. The trial is part of Anatel's "Digital Inclusion and Universal Internet Access" project, an effort to explore technologies that can help bridge the "digital divide" in the country.

The trial of CDMA450 - CDMA2000 wireless technology deployed in 450 MHz spectrum -- covers the region surrounding Brasilia, Brazil's capital, and follows a successful series of CDMA450 voice and data calls and demonstrations completed by Lucent for Anatel.

"CDMA450 is an ideal technology to address the lack of last-mile access to voice and data services in countries with vast territories, such as Brazil, because it can cost-effectively provide superior capacity and coverage with fewer wireless base stations than competing technologies," said Luiz Claudio Rosa, vice president of business development, Lucent Technologies Brazil. "CDMA450 has the potential to not only bridge the digital divide, but to leapfrog it, because it can be used for both mobile and fixed services -- wideband or narrowband -- delivering voice, high-speed data, video or any combination of these services to previously underserved or unreachable areas."

CDMA450 is currently being evaluated by telecommunications regulatory agencies in Brazil. Lucent is working with Anatel in Brazil and other regulatory agencies in Latin America, sharing studies and trial results to demonstrate the benefits of this technology. Lucent's CDMA450 solutions support third-generation (3G) wireless technologies such as CDMA2000 1X, which provides voice and data capabilities, and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, which provides high-speed data capabilities at speeds of up to 2.4 Megabits per second.

Lucent, the first to deliver CDMA450 solutions globally, has deployed commercial networks in 450 MHz spectrum for Delta Telecom and Moscow Cellular Communications -- both part of the SkyLink initiative in Russia -- and Zapp Mobile in Romania, and is conducting numerous CDMA450 trials with customers around the world."

Posted to the site on 5th March 2004