Future of CDMA is in 3G data – Dadson

The Managing Director, Qualcomm West Africa, Mr. Alex Dadson has declared that the future of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is in data anchored on Third Generation (3G) networks.

This is coming as he said Nigeria telecommunications market serves as 50 per cent of the total West African telecom market and has even grown by 18 per cent in 2010.

Disclosing these at an exclusive chat with ITRealms Online at the just concluded 2011 Africa Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) summit in Lagos, Dadson asserted that the future of CDMA is in data, Mr. Dadson noted that the availability of Third Generation (3G) licenses in the country have helped the operators in developing data-centric networks.

“The trend looks quite good. 3G looks promising and has to be accelerated,” he declared.

Dadson also said that since inception of the Qualcomm office in the West Africa, they have been working successfully with operators in enthroning 3G environment, especially with the CDMA network operators.

Equally, he said that Qualcomm has vigorously being canvassing for a data-centric environment derived by CDMA technologies by assisting operators with the maintenance of CDMA networks in West Africa.

In addition, he said they have offered training whereas marketing the company’s chip cell to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), who use them to make mobile phones and other electronic devices.

“We intend to add training to distributors’ scheme on how to sell 3G devices,” he said, while plans are up to open liaison in many West African countries as soon as possible.

He pointed out that given that the telecom market in the country rose to 18 per cent in 2010, adding that with the current status about 55 per cent of the telecom market in the country has been covered, while 45 per cent remain untapped.

Dadson advised CDMA operators in the country to desist from competing with GSM operators, but rather they should be innovative in capturing the better part of the remaining 45 per cent of the telecom market.

Equally speaking the Vice President, Business Development for Southern Africa at Qualcomm, Mr. James Munn said that their next of expansion is to open an office Nairobi, Kenya, which has been targeted for 2012.

Mr. Munn added that though Nigeria has connectivity over 40 per cent, its data usage is still below 10 per cent and urged CDMA operators to focus on this so as to make market difference.

On interconnectivity between operators across various networks, Munn noted that interconnection is a problem across the continent of Africa and could be better handled by African regulators.

On the role of Qualcomm at the CDMA summit, he said that the event which has about 15 operators traversing the continent in attendance is to bring the eco-system together and proffer the ground for solution.

Meanwhile, Visafone said it has made immediate availability for Motorola Milestone XT800.

The XT800 is an Android smartphone developed by Motorola as part of the CDG’s Open Market Handset (OMH) initiative to increase device availability, operator flexibility and consumer choice in CDMA2000 devices.

Currently enjoying commercial success on the open market in India, this high-end smartphone is now exclusively available to Visafone’s customers in Nigeria as the flagship device in its CDMA2000 product portfolio.

Executive director, CDMA Development Group (CDG), Mr. Perry LaForge, said that Visafone’s launch of the Motorola Milestone XT800 is an example of what the OMH programme is intended to accomplish by creating greater device variety and flexible distribution channels for operators.

“We hope this smartphone launch will encourage other CDMA operators to benefit from the OMH program when looking to bring high-end devices with proven success to Africa,” he said.

OMH devices move operator-specific network configuration, service provisioning and subscriber-identity data onto an OMH SIM card rather than in the handset’s internal memory.

A device developed to the OMH standard is therefore designed independent of the operator, since it will work with any operator’s OMH SIM.

This results in devices, experts said, that could be sold on the “open market” and used by multiple operators, and provides consumers with a greater selection of CDMA2000 devices and the mobile data services they desire.

Remmy Nweke:
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