Over 100 WCDMA Networks Live

The worldwide movement by operators to deploy high speed mobile broadband services - based on the global W-CDMA and HSDPA technology standards - is fuelling unprecedented economies of scale in the supply of equipment for carriers and handsets for consumers, says the GSM Association (GSMA). According to the GSMA, more than 105 mobile networks have launched commercial W-CDMA networks across 50 countries so far. Following the world's first large scale commercial launch of HSDPA - the next evolution of W-CDMA - by Cingular Wireless last year in the US, more than 95 operators from 48 countries are deploying, or have announced plans to deploy the technology. Already, 18 mobile networks are providing live commercial W-CDMA/ HSDPA services in 14 countries.

Among the raft of global operator commitments, a number of networks have already announced deployment of W-CDMA/HSDPA in the 850MHz frequency band, including Cingular Wireless, Telstra in Australia and Rogers Wireless - Canada's largest wireless voice and data communications service provider.

Last week, mobile operator KTF of Korea also announced that it will switch focus from its CDMA network to a new nationwide W-CDMA/ HSDPA network covering 84 South Korean cities by the end of the year. KTF has cited many compelling reasons for this shift, from simple economic efficiencies and global roaming to global handset availability and choice, economies of scale and significant potential revenue gains from high speed services.

"With more than 680 networks in our community heading along this globally agreed evolutionary path, no other technology can match the economies of scale and interoperability generated by GSM's 1.8 billion and growing user base," said Rob Conway, CEO and Board member of the GSM Association. "As economies of scale reach the point of critical mass for suppliers, we will see HSDPA become a ubiquitous part of device product ranges, just as GSM, GPRS and W-CDMA are today."

Posted to the site on 8th May 2006