The U.S. has a total of 219.4 million subscribers, a 73.5 percent penetration rate. Even with almost three-quarters of the population using mobile devices, the market for third-party applications in the Americas is not as mature as the markets in Europe or the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Ring tones, casual games, and themes are popular downloads, but the market for smartphone applications is still in its infancy, growing with the launch and success of such S60 3rd Edition devices as the Nokia E62.

The Latin American market seems to be mirroring that of Western Europe, which is undergoing a wave of consolidation. Unlike Europe however, in Latin America, two regional superpowers are battling for supremacy: Mexico City-based América Móvil and Spain's Telefónica SA.

Forum Nokia engages with PRO developers in the Americas region, providing access to business groups within Nokia as well as operators — both locally and abroad. Forum Nokia regularly schedules Tech Days to educate developers about platform technologies; matchmaking events through which PRO developers are introduced to operators and Nokia device teams; and other developer events.

Forum Nokia knows that we can be successful only if mobile developers can successfully get their applications to market. For that reason, we are pleased to provide you with information on mobile operators and how to contact them for more information.

The following are some of the larger operators in the Americas region:

Cingular Wireless, with more than 58.7 million subscribers and an estimated 26 percent of the U.S. market, is the largest U.S. mobile-phone company.* The company’s digital voice and data network is the country’s largest. Nokia works closely with Cingular to ensure that both developer communities are fostered. Supported technologies include GSM, general packet radio service (GPRS), EDGE, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) (time division multiple access [TDMA]).

For more information on Cingular’s developer community, please visit developer.cingular.com/developer/index.jhtml.

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the second-largest wireless telecommunications network in the U.S., with 24.6 percent of the market.* As of April 2006, the company served a total of 54.8 million customers and covered the largest service area. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, with 55 percent and 45 percent ownership respectively. Supported technologies include CDMA, CDMA2000 1x, EV-DO.

For more information, please visit www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html.

Sprint Nextel Corporation, with 51.9 million subscribers, has an estimated 22.2 percent of the market.* Sprint Nextel operates the third-largest wireless telecommunications network in the U.S. (based on total wireless customers). In the U.S., the company also operates the largest wireless broadband network and is the third-largest long-distance provider. Supported technologies include CDMA, CDMA2000 1x, EV-DO, iDEN.

For more information, please visit www.sprint.com.

Cincinnati Bell Wireless (CBW), a wireless provider that offers GSM services, is a wholly owned subisidary of Cincinnati Bell, Inc. and is closely integrated with its parent company. It operates in southeastern Indiana, southwestern Ohio, and northwestern Kentucky.

For more information, please visit www.cincinnatibell.com/consumer/wireless/.

As of December 31, 2005, América Móvil S.A. (AMX), was providing services to more than 93.3 million wireless subscribers in Latin America. Business Week magazine ranked it the number one information technology company in 2006. Supported technologies include GSM, GPRS, EDGE (CDMA, CDMA2000 1x, TDMA).

For more information, please visit www.americamovil.com.

Telcel, a Mexican subsidiary of América Móvil, is Mexico’s largest mobile operator, with more than 70 percent of the market. It operates under the name Claro (mobile phone network) in Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru; under the name CTI Móvil in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay; and under the name Tracfone in the U.S. Comunicaciones Celulares (Comcel) is a Colombian mobile-phone operator, also owned by América Móvil. Comcel is the major mobile-phone company in the country, with almost 16 million (of a total of 25 million) subscribers. Supported technologies include GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA (TDMA).

For more information, please visit www.telcel.com.

TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) is also present in Latin America through TIM Peru, which was sold to América Móvil.
For more information, please visit www.tim.com.br/.

Oi, Portuguese for "Hi," is a Brazilian mobile-phone company owned by Telemar. It was the first mobile-phone carrier in Brazil to use GSM.
For more information, please visit www.oiloja.com.br/.

*Merrill Lynch research estimates, Q1 06.

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