Open Market For CDMA Handsets Continues To Grow As CDG Led OMH Initiative Enters Next Phase Of Global Expansion

[me_saket 73]

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Open Market for CDMA Handsets Continues to Grow as CDG-Led OMH Initiative Enters Next Phase of Global Expansion

OMH Success and Device Selection in India is Creating Greater Flexibility and Consumer Choice

COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb 23, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that the open market for CDMA2000® handsets has grown considerably in India since the CDG-led OMH initiative was launched in 2009, and is expected to expand to new regions worldwide this year. In addition to the first OMH-enabled handset, the Samsung MPower 699, five more devices are now available: Micromax's C350; Samsung's Corby 339, Duos 259, and MPower Muzik 219; and SIM Technology's C24. Reliance Communications, Sistema Shyam (MTS), Tata Teleservices and Virgin Mobile India are all offering OMH SIM cards and supporting OMH devices on their networks to provide greater user choice and flexibility. Consumers in India can now select the CDMA2000-enabled OMH device, network and mobile data services they desire.

"Over the past six months, we've seen the open market model provide a larger CDMA2000 device selection," said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. "India has lived up to its promise as an ideal launch market for OMH, and we look forward to expanding the OMH initiative worldwide this year."

OMH, part of the CDG's Global Handset Requirements for CDMA (GHRC) initiative, enables operator-specific network configuration, service provisioning and subscriber-identity data to be moved from the handset's internal memory onto a next-generation OMH SIM card. By doing so, the handset becomes a generic device that can be sold on the "open market" and used by multiple operators, providing consumers a greater selection of CDMA2000 devices and the flexibility to select the operator and mobile data services they desire. The open market model also improves device time-to-market, expands distribution channels, and reduces inventory risk for manufacturers and operators.

The CDG is working with over 50 CDMA operators, device and R-UIM/SIM card manufacturers and distributors worldwide to bring more OMH devices to market and assist operators to configure their networks to support OMH. In addition to the Indian operators, CDMA operators in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nigeria are also OMH-compliant and will be supporting OMH devices on their networks later this year.

"As a member of the CDG, Qualcomm is working closely with device manufacturers and CDMA operators to implement this strategically important initiative," said Nakul Duggal, Vice President, Qualcomm Corporate Engineering Services. "Micromax, Samsung, SIM, MTS, Reliance, Tata and Virgin Mobile have all taken a leading role in promoting the value of OMH. As more and more device manufacturers and operators in Nigeria, Indonesia and elsewhere become OMH-compliant, we believe the OMH initiative will increase CDMA device variety and provide greater subscriber flexibility."

OMH SIM cards for CDMA2000 devices are more powerful than traditional SIM cards, enabling the most advanced service features available on the market, including voice services, SMS, MMS, downloadable 3G packet data applications, location-based services and high-speed Internet browsing. In addition, the broadband data capabilities of OMH devices will take on an increased significance in India, where CDMA broadband data services are already available to Indian consumers and enterprises. OMH SIM cards are also backward-compatible and can support the same quality of services enabled by existing R-UIM enabled devices. OMH-compliant devices and SIM cards are easily recognizable by the trademarked OMH gem logo.

[me_saket 73]

India is leading in term of OMH sim card,

and EVDO technology...

Hope MTS will bring good handset with such stong support from CDG.

Also

Olive techology will join race soon.

[::Hitesh:: 1,763]

^^^

hoping for more good days for CDMA !!!

[situ1962 21]

Waiting to see majors like HTC,SAMSUNG,SONY ERICSION etc come out with such OMH.

[csmart 472]

why not high end phones? why BB, HTC etc are doing it?

[swapnil05in 2]

ALL big ceell mfg want us to crave for these fones in INDIA?

but I hope when these big brand cell mfg launch new HANDSET they will lauch it with OMH only.

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

I don't think so.. They (HTC, BB) are interested in American market only and I think they won't care much about India, since we have NO subsidy on handset price by operator.. They already have NO RUIM based handsets earlier too...

But if they started, then that will be very GOOD for both them and us...

[prakashkadam 1]

samsung is already there with OMH handsets.

Waiting to see majors like HTC,SAMSUNG,SONY ERICSION etc come out with such OMH.

[kesav 127]

I didn't find better place to post this one.

Here's a very good presentation on OMH status & future.

Once you listen, I feel all your questions on OMH will get answered.

http://www.qualcomm.com/videos/omhtm-unlocking-open-market-potential-cdma-devices

It's time to reflect back on our followings on OMH.

You can easily understand initially how our members are skeptical about the success of OMH.

Now, OMH is a great success story in CDMA world and it's the future.

[ravi_patent 28]

very informative .+1 to you kesav

[sgiitk 32]

Given that CDMA service is probably the best, and the vendor handsets the worst. I wonder how the scenario will change if OMH based handsets become the rule. Already Samsung Galaxy Pop is there in the OMH universe.

[digitalnirvana 646]

OMH will continue to primarily target low/mid range handset market rather than high end because worldwide OMH is not prevalent. Only emerging markets like China and India have CDMA OMH and these are price conscious markets rather than high end ones.

[faizca 5]

OMH will continue to primarily target low/mid range handset market rather than high end because worldwide OMH is not prevalent. Only emerging markets like China and India have CDMA OMH and these are price conscious markets rather than high end ones.

china telecom is not omh compliant

[kesav 127]

Current OMH-complaint operators are present in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Nigeria, Mexico.

There's very huge potential in Africa and South east Asia to expand.....

http://omhworld.com/markets

[ujjwalsarin 9]

ill such time OMH is accepted standard in China and US, we will not see a wide range of CDMA handsets.

[abhisathe 8]

ill such time OMH is accepted standard in China and US, we will not see a wide range of CDMA handsets.

India is a pioneer as far as tariff and reach of mobilephones is concerned. We have been the best (lowest) tariff in the world and the range of handsets is mind boggling. It is true western manufacturers still depend on the US and China to decide the trend, but eventually, they will have to respect Indian consumers. I wish Nokia learns from this and resumes its CDMA handset business, which it has almost closed down. Imagine the range Nokia can offer in OMH.

[kesav 127]

An important point to be recognized is although China Telecom is not OMH-complaint but it's RUIM based from the start.

OMH countries to China::

It's very easy to pre-program China Telecom's data settings into OMH based mobiles and sell it in China.

China to OMH countries::

On the reverse, almost all the latest CDMA chips from Qualcomm are OMH-complaint. So any CDMA handsets which are released in China are inherently OMH-complaint but not tested by CDG to bear OMH logo. If any OEM wants to release those handsets in OMH countries, just they've to go for OMH certification and release in OMH countries.

It's exactly the case which has happened in Motorola XT800 and other Indian OEM phones like Micromax, Spice, Intex.

So China is actually a huge market for OMH although it's not OMH-complaint.

Edited April 25, 2011 by kesav

[digitalnirvana 646]

OMH will continue to primarily target low/mid range handset market rather than high end because worldwide OMH is not prevalent. Only emerging markets like China and India have CDMA OMH and these are price conscious markets rather than high end ones.

china telecom is not omh compliant

Sorry meant RUIM compliant. RUIM has to be there for it to be OMH. My point was as major CDMA market USA is not RUIM compliant so widespread OMH is not there in CDMA.

[Venkatagiri 53]

Can someone list omh cdma phones available in market as of today?

Will be helpful to make a selection for buyers.

[faizca 5]

http://www.omhworld.com/devices

[Venkatagiri 53]

http://www.omhworld.com/devices

Thanks faiz Cheta (Brother in Malayalam)

The website gave complete list of OMH handsets.

Samsung, LG and Spice look attractive.But the most attractive is Nokia 3806 Featuring 2 mp camera, memory card slot,bluetooth and cdma

Quoted at Naaptol for rs 2700 (estimated) but stocks yet to come.

Maybe our RIM brothers will have import route.

[ukshijukrishnan 0]

One of my friend's brother is in pakistan, he told me that in pakistan there is no RUIM card.

But they use EVDO REV.B @ 10 Mb/s. In india i hear mts soon going to upgrade.