UMTS subscriptions to hit 100 million mark very soon [Sun Dec 31, 02:58PM]

At the turn of the year, the UMTS Forum confirms that the global 3G mobile industry is on the brink of gaining its first 100 million UMTS/WCDMA customers.

According to data supplied by mobile market information provider Wireless Intelligence, the 100 million subscriber milestone is due to be passed at the start of 2007.

With a further contribution of over 50 million CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO customers, the global 3G cellular subscriber total for all technologies now stands at more than 150 million. Of this total, WCDMA subscriptions now account for two thirds of all 3G cellular connections.

"It's been another incredible year for 3G and in particular for WCDMA", commented UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé. "On the basis of current growth rates we now estimate that worldwide 3G subscriber numbers for all technologies will comfortably exceed 275 million by the end of 2007. Looking further ahead, by the end of this decade we expect WCDMA to account for around three quarters of a global 3G subscriber total approaching 800 million."

Source: UMTS Forum