I'm considering switching my cell phone provider, and want to know which one to get. I like the idea of GSM, but it seems that the coverage isn't as good as CDMA/TDMA. What are the pros and cons of each? Is one definitively better?
POLL: CDMA vs. GSM
- Thread starter dude8604
- Start date
GSM is the new hotness. They are going to be kicking ppl off of TDMA and just transitioning everyone over to GSM. Get GSM.
CDMA is superior technology but more expensive and restrictive. Hence you see the higher costs of Verizon.
GSM is internationally used, and cheaper.
GSM is internationally used, and cheaper.
Would you like me to write an essay for you?
Look it up on google, theres too much technical details for me to care to write about. All in all, they both have their pros and cons, and both do well in the US and neither technology will go obsolete anytime soon.
So all in all, it really doesn't matter. Pick whatever carrier that works best in YOUR area and the areas you plan to be in.
dr150
Diamond Member
- Sep 18, 2003
- 6,570
- 24
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From what I understand, CDMA is the best forward thinking technology for future air applications.
However, the older GSM is BY FAR the most widely used cell technology in the world. If you go to India, Europe, Asia, etc, it's the way to go.
I carry my universal GSM phone overseas and use it w/out a problem. You couldn't do that with TDMA (except S.A.) or CDMA (some small parts of India and Asia).
However, the older GSM is BY FAR the most widely used cell technology in the world. If you go to India, Europe, Asia, etc, it's the way to go.
I carry my universal GSM phone overseas and use it w/out a problem. You couldn't do that with TDMA (except S.A.) or CDMA (some small parts of India and Asia).
PricklyPete
Lifer
- Sep 17, 2002
- 14,582
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Originally posted by: Gr1mL0cK
Would you like me to write an essay for you?
Look it up on google, theres too much technical details for me to care to write about. All in all, they both have their pros and cons, and both do well in the US and neither technology will go obsolete anytime soon.
So all in all, it really doesn't matter. Pick whatever carrier that works best in YOUR area and the areas you plan to be in.
Agreed...you really need to look this up on interweb...there is plenty of information out there. A very simplified and quick overview.
CDMA
Pros: Better tower range. No hard limit on how many users. Transistions between towers more gracefully.
Cons: Signal quality gets worse as more users use the same tower...and since there is no hard limit...this can happen easily. When a tower is overpopulated the signal quality degrades for everyone on that tower...not just the late comers.
GSM (evolved TDMA)
Pros: Very mature technology (great codecs for good quality voice). Works around the globe.
Cons: Hard limit on how many users can use a tower...cuase situation where you are getting a signal, but you can't get you're phone to actually call. Range of towers is not as good as CDMA so you have more "blackout" areas.
CDMA and TDMA do not belong in the same category. Every company that ever used TDMA is switching to either CDMA or GSM. No mobile phone companies want TDMA any more. TDMA is old, old, old!
In the early 1980s, the FCC allocated two bands, known as A and B, in the 800 MHz range for mobile phones. In the 90s, the FCC allocated 6 more bands in the 1900 MHz range (known as PCS). For mobile phones, 1900 MHz has one big disadvantage: its signal is more easily blocked by solid objects (such as the walls of your office building) than an 800 MHz signal.
With that in mind, what you might want to look for is one of the (generally) two carriers in your area that use the old-school 800 MHz (AKA 850 MHz) cellular licenses.
Don't worry about the technology. It's really inconsequential (from a user's standpoint) compared to everything else that goes into building a mobile phone network. Just worry about coverage where you'll need it.
In the early 1980s, the FCC allocated two bands, known as A and B, in the 800 MHz range for mobile phones. In the 90s, the FCC allocated 6 more bands in the 1900 MHz range (known as PCS). For mobile phones, 1900 MHz has one big disadvantage: its signal is more easily blocked by solid objects (such as the walls of your office building) than an 800 MHz signal.
With that in mind, what you might want to look for is one of the (generally) two carriers in your area that use the old-school 800 MHz (AKA 850 MHz) cellular licenses.
Don't worry about the technology. It's really inconsequential (from a user's standpoint) compared to everything else that goes into building a mobile phone network. Just worry about coverage where you'll need it.
cdma
dont even consider tdma,
cdma v/s gsm is a better question, dont even throw tdma in the mix
dont even consider tdma,
cdma v/s gsm is a better question, dont even throw tdma in the mix
I'm on a quad band GSM phone, I can travel around the world with no problem. Though, the last time I've been out of the country was at least 10 years ago.
I am happy with my GSM serivce, and thats where all the cool phones are anyway.
I am happy with my GSM serivce, and thats where all the cool phones are anyway.
GSM has been in India since then. its a joke that its new and hot here, I agree. My grandma used to have a siemens phone in India back in, at MOST 1992. India, like Europe is still predominately GSM, but CDMA technology is coming up fast as it is supposedly technically better. Hopefully the U.S. will catch up someday.
on one hand though, i love the GSM's ability to have a unlocked world phone, pop in a new sim card and bam you're ready to go. cdma cant do that.
as far as india goes, cell phones started much later than they did in the US so they had GSM which was deployed right away, they do have CDMA too now (wll - wireless local loop by reliance)
US started much earlier and had to start with analog (tdma), so they are taking an evloutionarly path to gsm ,
cdma got started in late 90's too
there is a lot of politics as well as to what technology will be adopted where (EU is very closely nit, thatz y cdma which is mostly promoted by qualcomm is not very well adpoted)
no aka
W-CDMA
and
CDMA 2000 (EV, EVxDO, EVxDV)
and another technology backed by china telecom and seimens whose named i cant remember
To clarify, TDMA is not analog:
For cellular phones (numerous low power transceivers form a grid of "cells"; this arrangement is the basis of all modern mobile phone systems), the US started with AMPS technology, which stands for Advanced Mobile Phone System. That's the analog standard that still lives to this day. (It was extremely advanced compared to the old "radio phones" that preceded it.)
TDMA is a digital system. TDMA stands for Time Division Multi-Access. TDMA is an evolution from AMPS, necessitated by the increasing use of mobile phones to fit more calls per cell on a mobile phone system. TDMA approximately triples capacity over AMPS by giving each phone a "time-slice" to receive and transmit digitized voice data before it moves to the next phone for the next time-slice.
In a nutshell, better voice encoding (more compression) gives GSM and CDMA even more capacity per cell than TDMA, which is why TDMA is being phased out along with AMPS.
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