New surveys published by GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) confirm an unprecedented number of product launches for users of GSM/EDGE and 3G/WCDMA networks. The ‘EDGE Devices’ survey identifies 307 GSM/EDGE-enabled devices launched by 46 suppliers. This compares with 113 in a survey one year earlier (when there were 21 suppliers) and represents growth of over 170%. The new total of 307 includes 60 devices supporting both EDGE and WCDMA, and 31 devices which support EDGE and HSDPA. GSA confirmed earlier this month that there are 204 GSM/EDGE network deployments in 113 countries, of which 151 EDGE networks in 88 countries have launched commercial services. 67 operators are deploying combined EDGE-WCDMA networks, of which 40 have launched. A related GSA survey ‘3G/WCDMA-HSDPA devices - Variety & Availability’ confirms that 355 WCDMA-capable devices have been launched by 41 suppliers, compared to 166 (from 25 suppliers) in May 2005, and representing growth of 114%.
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