
Shenzhen, CHINA – January 7, 2009: Cogo Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: COGO), a leading provider of customized module design solutions and engineering and technology services globally, today reconfirmed its commitment to 3G and its forecast that the upgrade of China’s mobile networks will provide a new revenue potential for the company in 2009. Cogo’s optimism regarding 3G is supported by current telecom industry trends and news. China boasts the fastest growing telecom market in the world and forecasts 55 million CDMA mobile phone shipments in 2009. More than one third of China Telecom's existing PHS subscribers are expected to convert to the next generation mobile phone technology this year. The Chinese government’s award of 3G licenses to the three state-run carriers will help fuel the telecom industry’s dramatic growth this year. China Mobile, which owns 72% of the country’s wireless market, received a license for TD-SCDMA, China Telecom for CDMA 2000, and China Unicom for WCDMA. The upgrade of China’s mobile networks to various versions of 3G will benefit both Cogo’s telecom and handset businesses with solid revenue potential for 2009.
Cogo has already seen results from partnerships with key telecom companies such as Huawei, ZTE and Alcatel-Lucent, and the company expects to continue to record revenue throughout the year. Cogo forecasts that Huawei and ZTE’s share of the Chinese wireless telecom market will expand significantly in 3G versus their current position in the 2G market. Outlook for Cogo’s handset business also remains strong. Cogo is the sole agent in China for VIA Technologies, a leading CDMA baseband technology vendor, and its subsidiary, VIA Telecom, for the sales of its baseband CDMA 2000 technology used for handsets in the China Telecom network. Cogo was already awarded VIA Telecom chipset design win from BYD, China’s major original design manufacturers with customers including some of the world’s leading mobile phone makers. The company expects growth of 3G technologies to accelerate as demand increases for these higher content handsets offering new features such as CMMB, a version of mobile television found in the domestic Chinese market.
“Cogo has already begun to benefit from the roll out of networks in China, which we would expect to continue throughout 2009, especially now that the government has awarded its 3G licenses,” said Jeffrey Kang, Chairman and CEO, Cogo Group, Inc. “Our relationships with Huawei, ZTE, VIA, and other leading technology and equipment providers will leave COGO well-positioned to benefit from the upgrade of China mobile networks to 3G.”
About Cogo Group, Inc.:
Cogo Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:COGO) is a leading provider of customized module and subsystem design solutions in China. The Company believes it acts as a proxy to China's technology industry as it works with virtually all the major ODMs and OEMs in China. Cogo leverages these relationships and combines their IP to create designs that Cogo then sells to electronic manufacturers. These designs allow manufacturers to reduce their time to market for new products and ultimately increase sales. Cogo Group focuses on the digital media, mobile handset and telecommunications equipment end-markets for its customized design modules while also offering business and engineering services to its large telecom equipment vendor customers. Over the last twelve years, Cogo has grown its customer list to include more than 1000 manufacturers across the mobile handset, telecom equipment and consumer markets in China, covering both multinational Chinese subsidiaries and Chinese domestic companies.
Safe Harbor Statement:
This press release includes certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts, but are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include statements about our proposed discussions related to our business or growth strategy such as growth in mobile handset business and cooperation with Huawei, ZTE, Alcatel-Lucent, and VIA Technologies, which is subject to change. Such information is based upon expectations of our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to future business decisions, which are subject to change. For a further description of other risks and uncertainties, see our most recent Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-K, and our subsequent SEC filings. Copies of filings made with the SEC are available through the SEC's electronic data gathering analysis retrieval system (EDGAR) at http://www.sec.gov/.Disclaimer | Copyright © Cogo Group, Inc. All rights reserved.