Reliance Communications Joins CCF BOARD of Directors

Executive Board Appointment Highlights Demand for CDMA Device Testing and Certification in India

SAN DIEGO, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The CDMA Certification Forum® (CCF), a global non-profit organization that certifies CDMA2000® devices, today announced the addition of Reliance Communications to its Board of Directors.  Mr. Kuppu Sridhar, senior vice president heading the Reliance Technology Innovation Centre (RTIC), has been appointed representative on the CCF board.  Reliance Communications joins seven other wireless telecommunications industry leaders on the Board of Directors for the CCF, including Qualcomm, Sierra Wireless, Tata, Telus Mobility, Verizon Wireless, VIA Telecom and ZTE.  These companies are driving the strategic direction of the CCF during 2010, including streamlining the certification of CDMA2000 1X, EV-DO Rev. A and B, and LTE WorldMode™ mobile broadband devices.

Accepting his nomination to the CCF board, Mr. Sridhar said, "In today's highly competitive Telecom market, rigorous testing of mobile devices in the shortest possible time is the pressing demand of the operators.  This is possible by progressively automating the testing process. CCF is the right forum to achieve this objective.

For the past eight years Mr. Kuppu Sridhar has led the Technology Evaluation, Validation and Network support group of the RTIC (the technology arm of Reliance Communications), responsible for evaluating, validating and certifying all network elements, mobile devices and OSS/ BSS systems before commercial deployment.  Mr. Sridhar previously headed Reliance's rural telecommunications project to increase nationwide CDMA2000 coverage, and spent 20 years with the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) leading initiatives related to India's telecommunications technology digital revolution.

"The CCF is delighted to add Reliance Communications to our Board of Directors," said Thomas Erickson, President and CEO of the CCF.  "With over 100 million CDMA2000 subscribers in India, the need for clear and consistent device testing and certification could not be more evident.  Kuppu Sridhar's long expertise in this capacity with RTIC will serve Reliance Communications and all CCF members well in 2010."

2009 was a milestone year for the CCF, highlighted by the consolidation of the CTIA's CDMA certification program and CDMA Development Group's (CDG) 1, 2 and 3 test guidelines into a single, global certification process.  As a result, the CCF offers a clear and concise certification process that includes all of the minimum performance, interoperability and conformance testing necessary to insure that all CDMA2000 devices are certified to operate in accordance with their respective global industry standards. More importantly, it streamlines and automates the device testing and certification process, minimizing time-to-market and reducing costs.

For more information about the CCF or CDMA device testing and certification, please visit www.globalccf.org.

About the CCF

The CCF is a partnership of CDMA vendors and operators worldwide that has established and maintains a single core global device certification process.  The CCF process allows quick and affordable certification of devices so they meet prescribed international performance requirements.  This process improves quality through consistent interoperability, signaling conformance, and performance testing.  For more details, visit the CCF Web site at www.globalccf.org.

CDMA Certification Forum is a registered trademark of the CDMA Certification Forum.  CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of TIA-USA.  WorldMode is a trademark of the CDMA Development Group.  All other marks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE CDMA Certification Forum