Date:12/11/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/11/12/stories/2005111204961600.htm

Business

CDMA operators asked to unite

Staff Correspondent

`India offers affordable mobile handsets'

MUMBAI: The world is moving towards code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile technology and the operators, rather than fighting among themselves, should come together to offer this new age technology, according to Irwin Jacobs, Chairman, Qualcomm.

Mr. Jacobs was speaking at a briefing as part of the CDMA Development Group, on the sidelines of the fourth Global CDMA summit held here on Friday.

Spectrum allocation

Perry La Forge, Executive Director, CDMA Development Group, said global CDMA subscribers totalled now 235 million and this was likely to go up to one billion by 2009. Also, from the current 18 million 3G broadband subscribers, the number would reach 240 million by 2008. Further, according to Mr. La Forge, there are now 22 million CDMA subscribers in India and the unified licensing has seen a dramatic growth in both forms of mobile technology subscribers. "The Government would be able to meet its goal of 200 million mobile subscribers by 2007 provided there are some steps taken in the spectrum allocation,'' he said.

Bhagwan Khurana, Group President, Reliance Infocomm, said, India offered the world's most affordable mobile handsets.