cdma2000 1x subscribers turn 3 million this year
By Kim, Tae-gyu
Wednesday, July 04, 2001
The number of cdma2000 1x subscribers is expected to turn 3 millions by the end of this year. According to mobile phone service operators, the price of phone terminals is likely to drop around July when cdma2000 1x contents are scheduled to make debuts. As a result, the number of cdma2000 1x network users is also expected to increase up to 3 to 3.5 millions by the end of this year.
The forecasted figure is a 7 to 8 times increase compared to the number of current users as of the end of June, which remains at 379,000, or 1.4% of the total mobile phone subscribers. Service operators initially estimated that the number would increase up to 4 millions within this year. However, as the supply of terminals delayed in the first half due to manufacturers' business conditions, they adjusted the market scale for this year market at about 3 millions.
SK Telecom, which launched cdma2000 1x terminal supply in October last year, announced that it secured 320,000 subscribers as of June 20. In particular, PCS operators are rushing to the cdma2000 1x service market. And the volume of terminal sales has recently doubled since manufacturers started to provide products in full gear in May this year.
"Samsung Electronics' cdma2000 1x model, 'SCH-X120,' was released in the market in April and the number of subscribers soared from the following month," said a source from SK Telecom. The company has set this year's target at 2.5 millions and is gearing up for full-scale marketing in the latter half.
KTF and LG Telecom started to attract cdma2000 1x subscribers in May and have secured 35,000 and 12,000 respectively by the end of June. SK Shinsegi Telecom, which lunched the cdma2000 1x service in February this year, recorded 12,000 users as of the end of June.
KTF plans to lure more than 1.2 millions by the end of this year, by accelerating terminal supplies as well as building base stations in remote areas (eup or myeon) in the second half. LG Telecom is also poised to increase the number of cdma2000 1x users as many as possible, by creating demand among new subscribers.
"cdma2000 1x terminals are currently in short supply throughout sales agencies," said a source from a service operator. "Once makers start to supply terminals in full swing, the number of subscribers is likely to sharply increase," he added
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