CDMA is actually more efficient with spectrum usage. But I find battery life of CDMA phones to be less than GSM counterparts. I also hate the lack of a SIM card in CDMA phones. CDMA phones have traditionally lagged GSM phones in technology adoption like Bluetooth, etc...
Europe just got together and agreed on a standard and moved forward. Most rest of world countries copied Europe with GSM. Whereas in the United States, we let the markets decide. Which is silly to me because you have very redundant network build outs. So in any one area, you have AT&T Wireless/Cingular TDMA then GSM, Voicestream/T- Mobile GSM, Sprint CDMA, Verizon CDMA and Nextel iDEN. Actually Verizon choosing CDMA was something of a big deal. Verizon was partially owned by Vodafone, the European provider. They obviously pushed for GSM. Verizon had some deal with Qualcomm going (they rule CDMA) and that's where they went. Vodaphone over time got rid of their investment in Verizon. What sucked about Cingular buying AT&T Wireless was that really, that should have been Vodafone's deal. (I could have gotten that Ferrari or McLaren branded cell phone right?) So the United States really should have had three GSM providers (Cingular, Vodafone and T-Mobile)....but alas, due to some shrewd dealings, the deal was given to Cingular. Do some searches on the deal, it was pretty sketchy. Nothing metric, but everything to do with the mindset of being different. On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:47:09 -0400, Carleton MacDonald wrote > Well, there is something related - CDMA is another case of the USA doing > things differently than 80% of the rest of the world ... > > Wonder which is actually better. > > Carleton > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Michael Payne > Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 23:07 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:38224] RE: Brand New Phone, 12 Hour Time. > > Not that this has much to do with metric, but I switched from > Cingular to T-Mobile just over a year ago and I've found the > coverage with T-Mobile better using a GSM phone, I also use my phone > worldwide. > > Michael Payne > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nat Hager III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, 16 March 2007 02:59 > Subject: [USMA:38222] RE: Brand New Phone, 12 Hour Time. > > >>> You actually cared about TDMA coverage and left Cingular because of > >>> that? > > > > Wow, you deserve the 12 hour time then. hahahaha.. Of course, maybe > > I'm > > spoiled because I'm in Seattle. Home of both AT&T Wireless (before > > Cingular > > bought them) and T-Mobile. > >>> > > > > You bet. In 2005 Cingular GSM coverage was only slightly better than > > T-Mobile, in 2004 it was experimental on the weaker 1900 MHz band only, my > > phone switched to TDMA half the time. > > > > Nat > > > > > >
