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(PR NEWSWIRE) GSM the Fastest Growing Wireless Technology in the Americas

3G Americas Reports 3Q 2002 Subscribers

BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- GSM has become the fastest
growing wireless technology in the Americas, registering a 37% year-over-year
growth through September 2002 according to the EMC World Cellular Database.
GSM subscribers globally totaled more than 745 million subscribers
representing growth of 28% during the same twelve months.
Chris Pearson, Executive Vice President of 3G Americas predicted, "We are
seeing the beginning of explosive growth of GSM in the Americas. TDMA
operators in North America are delivering on schedule their GSM/GPRS
deployments, creating a national footprint of wireless data services for their
customers. This is the food to fuel the uptake of customer services such as
photo-messaging, entertainment, always-on anywhere anytime Internet
connectivity, and corporate enterprise email."
EMC figures also revealed that GSM subscribers in Latin America grew by
53% from 3.8 to 5.8 million during this period. Dr. Richard Downes, Director
of Latin America and the Caribbean of 3G Americas, attributed the growth to
the launch of new GSM operators and the gradual displacement of TDMA through
operator migrations to GSM. "GSM is experiencing phenomenal growth,
especially in Brazil, where recent figures indicate that 59 percent of all new
subscribers have selected GSM technology," he noted.
GSM is the world's leading wireless technology, and as of today there are
more than 785 million subscribers worldwide, representing nearly 72% of all
digital cellular subscribers today. Another 13% of the world's digital
subscribers are CDMA and 10% are TDMA. GSM provides an unmatched roaming
footprint spanning more than 550 networks in over 184 countries.
According to Vicki Livingston, Director of Marketing of 3G Americas,
"Operators and their customers in the Americas are beginning to understand the
many advantages of GSM technology, especially international roaming -- not
available through other technologies due to their lack of a global footprint.
GSM's economies of scale also offer attractive economic incentives, obvious
when you compare over 785 million GSM customers today to over 100 million-plus
TDMA or CDMA customers. GSM's growth in the Americas will continue to surge
with EDGE -- as it becomes the first true 3G commercial service deployment by
a national operator in mid 2003, enabling high-speed wireless data services."
According to EMC, as of September 2002, there were 100.7 million TDMA
subscribers in the Americas, 83.7 million CDMA subscribers, and 21 million GSM
subscribers. Another 27.8 million analog subscribers are represented,
although this number declined by over 30% in the last twelve months.
Technology statistical charts are provided on the 3G Americas website at:
www.3gamericas.org/English/Statistics/.

About EMC
EMC is the best independent single source for operational data and
analysis on the wireless industry. EMC has been researching and publishing
market intelligence on the wireless industry since 1985 and delivers an
accurate and authoritative source of data regularly referenced by industry
associations, investors and industry players. EMC's global analyst team
conducts a primary research program based on direct contacts with 1,350
operators in 208 countries worldwide. All data collated, including that
publicly available, is audited and verified against EMC's independent criteria
to provide valid market indicators. EMC is part of the Informa Telecoms
Group. For more information please visit EMC website:
https://www.emc-database.com/marketdata.nsf.

About 3G Americas: Unifying the Americas through Wireless Technology
3G Americas unites wireless operators and vendors in the Americas to form
a single voice representing GSM, TDMA, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS technologies.
Working with regulatory bodies, technical standards bodies, and other global
organizations, 3G Americas uniquely focuses on the issues facing the Americas.
The mission of 3G Americas is to promote, educate, and advocate for the
success of GSM, TDMA, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS and their seamless evolution to
future generations, thereby advancing the wireless industry in the Americas
for the benefit of consumers. The organization fully supports the third
generation technology migration strategy GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS adopted by
many operators in the Americas that will globally account for up to 85% of
next-generation subscribers. 3G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, WA
with an office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Miami, FL. For more
information, visit the website at www.3gamericas.org.
The founding members of 3G Americas include AT&T Wireless (USA), Cingular
Wireless (USA), Ericsson, HP, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nokia, Nortel
Networks, Openwave Systems, Rogers Wireless (Canada), Siemens, and Telecom
Personal (Argentina). New members to the Board of Governors as of January
2003 include Research In Motion (RIM) and Telcel (Mexico).

CONTACT: Vicki Livingston of 3G Americas, [phone], or
fax, [phone], or [e-mail].

SOURCE 3G Americas
-0- 01/13/2003
/CONTACT: Vicki Livingston of 3G Americas, [phone], or
fax, [phone], or [e-mail]/
/Web site: https://www.emc-database.com/marketdata.nsf /
/Web site: http://www.3gamericas.org /

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