Supply of 3G mobile terminals trebles in 8 months
The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has confirmed that the availability of 3G wireless technology has boomed in the past few months.
According to the group, which is a forum representing leading companies in the wireless industry, 139 different 3G mobile terminals are now available following the 3GSM World Congress jamboree held recently in Cannes, France.
Last June, that figure stood at just 45 models, demonstrating the huge efforts being made by manufacturers trying to entice consumers into using the new technology. 25 different suppliers have now launched wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) terminals, says the GSA.
And GaAs IC manufacturers have developed a raft of new power amplifier (PA) products aimed at the emerging 3G cell phone market (see related story).
W-CDMA is the most widely accepted 3G mobile technology globally, and there are now 64 such networks offering commercial services in 31 different countries.
Despite only 13.6 million new W-CDMA subscribers signing up for the technology in 2004, this still represented five-fold growth on the 2003 figure, added the GSA.
And the broadband mobile revolution is set to continue with the emergence of the high-speed downlink packet access (HSPDA) protocol, it predicted. This largely software-enabled evolution of W-CDMA technology is expected to reach the market around the end of this year.
