Most cell phone owners around the world only have to worry about a single carrier technology called the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM for short. As its name implies, this standard was developed for, and has been adopted by, almost the entire globe as the way to communicate via cellular calls.
But not everyone has jumped on the GSM train. An alternative cellular standard known as Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, is used by many carriers around the world. It is most popular in the United States and Russia, but it’s also used in some Asian and African countries, often alongside competing GSM carriers.
Here’s what cell phone users stuck on choosing between them should know before purchasing a phone.
GSM vs. CDMA: What’s Better?
This the first question many potential owners ask, and it makes sense, but in this case there’s no easy answer to that question.
GSM and CDMA are different ways to accomplish the same goal, and the fact that extremely popular networks are built on each simply proves that it’s the quality of the network, not the standard, which is important. For instance, in the United States, two of the four major carriers (Verizon and Sprint) use CDMA while the other two (AT&T and T-Mobile) use GSM.
Technically, neither is the better in terms of quality, but there are some things here for your consideration. GSM phones are able to be unlocked and moved between carriers, but CDMA phones are often locked to a single carrier and unable to be transferred.
But not everyone has jumped on the GSM train. An alternative cellular standard known as Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, is used by many carriers around the world. It is most popular in the United States and Russia, but it’s also used in some Asian and African countries, often alongside competing GSM carriers.
Here’s what cell phone users stuck on choosing between them should know before purchasing a phone.
GSM vs. CDMA: What’s Better?This the first question many potential owners ask, and it makes sense, but in this case there’s no easy answer to that question.
GSM and CDMA are different ways to accomplish the same goal, and the fact that extremely popular networks are built on each simply proves that it’s the quality of the network, not the standard, which is important. For instance, in the United States, two of the four major carriers (Verizon and Sprint) use CDMA while the other two (AT&T and T-Mobile) use GSM.
Technically, neither is the better in terms of quality, but there are some things here for your consideration. GSM phones are able to be unlocked and moved between carriers, but CDMA phones are often locked to a single carrier and unable to be transferred.
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