3G device growth is 120%

Johannesburg, 10 Aug 2006

Globally, 44 suppliers have released 407 3G / WCDMA devices, the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) says.

According to a survey released today, 221 new products worldwide came to market in the past 12 months, representing growth of almost 120%. The number of WCDMA device suppliers increased from 26 to 44 in the same period.

GSA`s "Survey of 3G / WCDMA-HSDPA Devices - Variety and Availability" said the number of devices that support high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) has reached 51, up from 12 in August last year.

According to GSA research, there are 108 HSDPA network deployments worldwide, including 48 networks in 33 countries that have commercially launched their services. WCDMA has 112 commercial networks in 49 countries. The number of WCDMA subscriptions is estimated to be approaching 80 million worldwide.

The number of WCDMA devices which are GSM / EDGE-enabled, has increased to 77, which is more than five times the number available in August 2005. According to GSA research there are 204 GSM/EDGE network deployments in 113 countries, including 151 networks in 88 countries, which have commercially launched their services.