According to the CDMA Development Group (CDG), a trade association formed to promote the development, implementation and use of CDMA2000 technologies, the total number of subscribers to CDMA2000 services in Indonesia has passed the 10 million mark.

The organization announced the news during a CEO Roundtable and Executive Briefing recently held in Indonesia. All six CDMA2000 operators in Indonesia were reportedly in attendance.

According to the trade group’s data, only about 36 percent of the 66,778 villages in Indonesia are using some form of telecommunications services – meaning there is plenty of room for growth for this relatively new wireless technology. With the Asian countries currently being the fastest adopters of CDMA technologies, the CAGR rate of CDMA2000 subscribers could be as high as 64 percent over the next few years. The group attributes this potential growth to the fact that CDMA2000 is a relatively inexpensive technology to deploy, thus the cost of CDMA2000-based services is low. In addition, the cost of CDMA2000 capable handsets continues to go down.

CDMA2000, which operates in the 400 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency ranges, is a hybrid 2.5G/3G technology used for delivering voice, video and wireless Internet. It is considered a 2.5G protocol in 1xRTT and a 3G protocol in EVDO. Unlike TDMA (time division multiple access), CDMA2000 utilizes a multiple access scheme which enables all radios can be active at the time on the same channel. Because a CDMA2000 network can support an almost limitless number of active radios, a larger number of devices can be served by a much smaller number of cell sites. This is what gives CDMA2000 a significant advantage over older wireless technologies.

CDMA2000 is a 3GPP2 standard and a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association.

Service providers currently operating CDMA2000 networks in Indonesia include Bakrie Telecom (1X, Commercial, and EVDO, Commercial); INDOSAT (1X, Commercial and EVDO, Commercial); Mobile-8 Telecom (1X Commercial and EVDO Rel 0 Commercial); Sampoerna Telekomunikasi (1X Commercial); Smart Telecom (previously Sinar Mas Group, Indoprima Mikroselindo, to launch 1X Commercial); and TELKOM Indonesia (1X Commercial).

Last year Bakrie Telecom, Mobile-8 and INDOSAT, all operating on EVDO, introduced high-speed broadband data services which are moderately priced. Mobile-8, for example, launched the first mobile television service in Indonesia, called TV Mobi, which has reportedly seen strong adoption. As these players roll out next generation CDMA technologies such as 1xEVDO Rev. A, they will be able deliver advanced services including mobile VoIP, mobile email with large attachments, high speed mobile Internet and quality mobile television, both affordably and effectively.

“The CDG is pleased to see the rapid growth of CDMA2000 in Indonesia,” said James Person, chief operating officer of the CDG, in a press release. “In a market where only one in four people have access to a phone, CDMA2000 has proven to be the technology of choice to deliver telephone, Internet access, television, and broadband data services. Unlike previous 2G technologies, the favorable network economics, entry-level handset availability and maturity of 3G CDMA2000 makes it feasible for operators around the world to make a profit while offering extremely competitive tariffs.”

For more information about the CDG visit www.cdg.org.

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Patrick Barnard is Assignment Editor for TMCnet and a columnist covering the telecom industry. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page.