jfmezei
Premium
join:2007-01-03
Beaconsfield, QC
 ·ELECTRONICBOX
| CDMA not meant to be "open"
Considering that CDMA technology is proprietary and never meant to be open, and considering it doesn't use a SIM card that allows customers to switch handsets without needing permission from the network, this scheme is going to be all talk and no action.
In the GSM world, someone can buy an unlocked handset and use it on any GSM network. The advantage is that the network does not have to pay any subsidy to acquire you as a customer since you are bringing in your own handset. So if the network is saving a few hundred dollars when it acquires you as a customer, it si silly for them to charge you more for the privilege of you not buying one of ther subsidized handsets. |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
| said by jfmezei  :Considering that CDMA technology is proprietary and never meant to be open, and considering it doesn't use a SIM card that allows customers to switch handsets without needing permission from the network, this scheme is going to be all talk and no action. In the GSM world, someone can buy an unlocked handset and use it on any GSM network. The advantage is that the network does not have to pay any subsidy to acquire you as a customer since you are bringing in your own handset. So if the network is saving a few hundred dollars when it acquires you as a customer, it si silly for them to charge you more for the privilege of you not buying one of ther subsidized handsets. CDMA does use a SIM-like card called a R-UIM. Sad no North American carrier uses it. |
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Squirrelly
join:2000-10-24
Harrisburg, PA | I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. |
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xenophon
join:2007-09-17
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| said by Squirrelly :I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. It won't be soon, LTE is 3 years away before mass deployment It won't fully replace CDMA for at least 5 years, maybe 10. Verizon may not use LTE for voice for a while, just data at first - maybe.
Qualcomm is coming up with an LTE/CDMA combo chipset that will help the transition, but neither will be as open as WiMAX. WiMAX is an IEEE spec, allowing device makers to not be involved with carriers. LTE comes from 3GGP, controlled by the telcom industry.
If Qualcomm successfully combines LTE/CDMA into a chipset and makes cellsites easy/cheap to upgrade, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sprint use LTE in the end as well (in addition to WiMAX). |
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cghh
join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA
| reply to Squirrelly
said by Squirrelly :I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. LTE isn't GSM. It is something different from both GSM and CDMA. Many GSM providers are planning to migrate to LTE, as is CDMA provider Verizon Wireless, but with the OFDM air interface and IP back end, it is just as much a change for the GSM providers as it is for the CDMA providers. |
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Squirrellydw
@dhs.gov
| said by cghh :said by Squirrelly :I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. LTE isn't GSM. It is something different from both GSM and CDMA. Many GSM providers are planning to migrate to LTE, as is CDMA provider Verizon Wireless, but with the OFDM air interface and IP back end, it is just as much a change for the GSM providers as it is for the CDMA providers. OK, might not be GSM but I knew it was something like that. They will be starting the switch late this year, that I know for sure. It will start in the big cities and go outward. |
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