- 02-25-2006, 10:43 PM #1Newbie
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New here. My contract runs out in March ( YEAH )!!! Looking for a new phone and been researching them too, but my Question is which is better CDMA or GCM??
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- 02-25-2006, 10:58 PM #2
In a nutshell, it depends on where you live and where you travel.
If you travel in and out of rural areas, CDMA is probably going to give you the roaming flexibility you need. That's my primary reason for going with a CDMA provider; Sprint gives me excellent roaming coverage when I'm outside their service area via roaming agreements they have with Verizon and Alltel. When I say "outside their area" I am referring to the middle of nowhere, because they actually have very good widespread coverage.
GSM is supposedly more energy-conservative, ie longer battery life, and will have solid coverage in any major metropolitan area, but the general consensus is their rural coverage is lacking in many areas. However, if you travel to other countries, you may find that GSM is the predominant or ONLY available service, so you may find it convenient to have a GSM phone that supports international GSM standards (ie quad-mode) so you can either use international roaming through your US provider or swap your SIM with a local SIM in countries where you travel worldwide.
That is, unless you're in Korea, where I've heard they make a killing leasing Korean CDMA handsets to Chinese tourists, who cross the border sporting GSM phones that don't work in Korea!
- 02-25-2006, 11:14 PM #3Newbie
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Thanks for info Brad!!
- 02-26-2006, 06:39 AM #4Wilder than Van Wilder
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It is my personal experience that phones on the GSM network have a substantially longer battery life. That's just to finish off what Brad was saying.
First, I will share my professional, non-biased view: It IS all about what you want from both your phone and provider.
The GSM networks (Rogers in my area) have a couple huge advantages over their four-letter brotheren. First, and foremost (in my mind) is the ability to "unlock" GSM phones, take them overseas (india, japan, ect.), purchase a new SIM card and use the phone as though it were a local number.
Second: The GSM network is newer technology (relatively), and becuase of this; there will come a day when CDMA phones no longer are useful (Like Rogers old TDMA phones). Also, when our GSM provider comes out with a new network ability (Edge), they drop that bomb on everywhere you recieve GSM coverage. (Bell's EV-DO network...only available in "major centers".)
Finally, GSM service providers (Rogers, Fido, ect.) always have the "good", newer phones about 6 months to a year before the CDMA guys (Telus, Bell).
CDMA, in my area anyway sells more for one reason and one reason only...Actually make that two.
CDMA in my area has much, much, much better coverage that GSM.
And the main reason that people buy a Telus cell phone is because they have a Telus house phone. You stick with what you know (until you get your first bill anyway).
Now, time for my favorite part: my extremely biased, overly critical "opinion".:
I use both networks. One is a demo line for work (CDMA), and one is my personal line (GSM). And the one thing that makes me love our GSM service provider over the CDMA is this: AFTER PURCHASE CUSTOMER CARE/RELATIONS.
It could just be our providers, but it seems that Bell only has something to offer UNTIL you sign up with them. Any problems you have after activation are extremely difficult if not impossible to resolve. Rogers, I've found, only starts helping you when you sign up. Their post-activation support team is superb.
I prefer GSM. And the new network (don't recall the name) is going to blow EV-DO out of the water in both speed and reliability.Thank you very much sir....As my thanks...A Twoonie...
- 02-26-2006, 09:33 AM #5Newbie
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Thanks Wirelesswave, alot of good info!
- 02-26-2006, 09:39 AM #6Wilder than Van Wilder
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No worries bud. Hey, who are your service providers where you reside?
Thank you very much sir....As my thanks...A Twoonie...
- 02-27-2006, 06:52 PM #7Phone Addict
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CDMA phones also have AMPS backup, which give you even more coverage. No GSM provider can offer that. But the ability to change out SIMs is a great advantage of GSM.
- 02-28-2006, 04:42 PM #8
It really does depend on what you are looking to get out of your service. Like Brad said, if you live in a rural area, CDMA will most likely be the dominant brand. The reason GSM doesn't have as much coverage as CDMA is because GSM is a newer technology. CDMA has been around longer, and I don't think it will ever go away.
The word, however, is that because Sprint and Verizon have HUGE CDMA networks, it would cost too much money to convert to GSM.
For me, I personally prefer GSM. I live in Chicago and the coverage is great. I travel to metropolitan areas such as San Antonio TX, Orlando FL, Madison WI, and Indianapolis IN. Since GSM is spreading outward from urban areas, I'm sure I will have coverage in the rural areas in the near future. For now, GSM suits me fine.
What I really like, however, is the fact that I can change my phone anytime I want to. I don't have to let my service provider know about it (they automatically know), there is no fee for switching my phone as many times as I want, and I get to try and use the latest phones. This is really good for me becuase I get bored of phones very easily. With the exception of my first phone (Nokia 3390 Gold), I've never had a phone for more than 1 year.
So yeah, that's what I really like about GSM service. Here are a few of the phones I've personally owned. Notice that I use T-Mobile service, however, a few of the phones on this list are not even offered by T-Mobile.
Samsung E105
Nokia 6610
Motorola V180
Motorola V300
Motorola V505
Nokia 3220
Samsung E730 (My Personal Favorite, and phone I am currently using).
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