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Key Growth Regions for 3G Handset Shipments

Source: WCIS+ (October 2008)

Powering today’s 3G networks worldwide.

Qualcomm’s platform for CDMA2000® networks is the most widely deployed 3G wireless technology in the world today. More than 105 million people now subscribe to the high-speed variant of CDMA2000 known as EV-DO, (e) including the latest commercial evolution, EV-DO Rev. A, which offers access to the mobile Internet at broadband speeds.

In many regions of the world where legacy GSM operators are migrating their networks to 3G, Qualcomm’s WCDMA technology is rapidly gaining traction. The growth potential for this solution is enormous, projected to surpass one billion subscribers by 2012. (f) The high-speed variant of this technology, known as HSPA, which launched just three years ago, is already serving more than 60 million subscribers, (g) achieving a remarkable tenfold increase in subscribers this year.

A leading growth story in the emerging world is India, which added more than 100 million 3G subscribers in 2008 (h) and earned distinction as the world’s fastest growing wireless market. In China, the world’s largest 2G wireless market, the government announced its reorganization of the telecommunications industry, and the issuance of 3G licenses is anticipated soon. The launch of new EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA networks in China is projected to quadruple the number of 3G subscribers in the region to more than 167 million by 2012. (i) The growth story for mature markets in the developing world is equally compelling. In North America, the United States experienced an 80 percent growth rate in 3G subscribers this year. (j)

Recent studies point to the power of wireless as a force for social improvement. For every one percent increase in a country’s Internet penetration, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has increased by approximately 10 percent (USD), and a one percent increase in mobile penetration shows a per capita increase of approximately five percent (USD). (k)

These figures underscore the importance of bridging the “digital divide” that exists in communities with limited access to wireless connectivity. Working to remedy this problem, Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach program is dedicated to improving lives by creating new ways for people in underserved communities to communicate, learn, access health care and reach global markets.

(e) Source: CDG, Sept 2008
(f) Source: Dell’Oro Group, Feb 2008
(g) Source: GSM Association, Nov 2008
(h) Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
(i) Source: CCI Consulting, Sept 2008
(j) Source: comScore, Sept 2008
(k) Source: Michael Minges, TMG Telecom, and ITU World Telecommunications Database Statistics, 2003

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