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nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned) to ISurfTooMuch

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Re: What will happen (if this is approved)

said by ISurfTooMuch:

there's no need to keep CDMA or GSM in the handsets except for roaming, and you can bet that GSM/HSPA will win out in that battle.

Why? CDMA for roaming works quite well for distance. Think Verizon wireless. As said before GSM is liked because of SIM cards nothing to do with the base technology beyond that.
ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch

Member

Yes, but CDMA isn't used for roaming in most of the world; GSM is. So that only leaves roaming on U.S. carriers, and if CDMA is on the way out, then it makes more sense to prefer GSM/HSPA for roaming. And, even with U.S. roaming, assuming the new company chose to allow it, they could just as easily roam on AT&T as Verizon.

Zenit_IIfx
The system is the solution
Premium Member
join:2012-05-07
Purcellville, VA

Zenit_IIfx to nonymous

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CDMA will do you nothing when you step outside of the USA/North America
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned) to ISurfTooMuch

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to ISurfTooMuch
said by ISurfTooMuch:

Yes, but CDMA isn't used for roaming in most of the world; GSM is. So that only leaves roaming on U.S. carriers, and if CDMA is on the way out, then it makes more sense to prefer GSM/HSPA for roaming. And, even with U.S. roaming, assuming the new company chose to allow it, they could just as easily roam on AT&T as Verizon.

Most people never leave the local area they live in let alone travel overseas.
Overseas travel is a small part of most cell usage in the US.
Plus if a world traveler you probably already have a couple or more sims from other areas outside the US and a couple or more phones to use them in.
xenophon
join:2007-09-17

xenophon to ISurfTooMuch

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CDMA is still big in S America and parts of Asia, just not Europe. I've roamed many times on CDMA in other countries. Some new Sprint phones also have GSM so can still roam to those areas.

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

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said by nonymous:

Plus if a world traveler you probably already have a couple or more sims from other areas outside the US and a couple or more phones to use them in.

Not true. The ease of use factor is important here.

CDMA roaming world wide is a joke.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

1 edit

nonymous (banned)

Member

Yes Tmobile has their international roaming. No matter who buys Tmobile out how long will that last once DT is no longer the parent company?
World travelers make up a very small percentage of any US cell operators business.
You and your friends may be world travelers. Yet most normal broke people are not.

Then how many people change their cell phone on a daily basis just because? My wife is not into tech. She does have a nice cell phone though. Not because we are that broke but because she is used to it and has it set the way she likes it would not swap it out weekly. Or have a few for different days of the week.
About the only time I did have a second cell was a ruggedized one for work and a play one for home.

skurfa
@ufinet.com.pa

skurfa to morbo

Anon

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True, I am a world traveler and a Sprint customer, I am using my Sprint HTC One on the Mas Movi (Cable and Wireless Panama) network with a local SIM right now. Obviously the phone has all the radios needed to to work on this GSM network. Using a local SIM is a way better option for anyone spending any amount of time overseas, even T-Mos free roaming is pretty limited in how much you can use, especially data. They also limit you to edge data speeds, used edge lately? They will allow you higher speeds but you will pay 15.00 per 100 mb, Very steep

Zenit_IIfx
The system is the solution
Premium Member
join:2012-05-07
Purcellville, VA
·Comcast XFINITY

Zenit_IIfx

Premium Member

Actually, I have used EDGE lately, since I am a T-Mobile customer :P
My house is stuck between two towers - a 4G LTE/3G tower, and an EDGE tower. The EDGE tower has stronger signal as its a little closer, and my phone likes to ping pong between them. Its also right on the border of modern service from t-mobile (going east) and EDGEland going west.

Its fine for e-mail, navigation, weather checking, iMessage or Steam messaging.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72 to morbo

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Maybe but my iphone 5 on verizon roams on GSM just fine and I slap a Reliance or Vodaphone SIM in and away to the races.

It's not a binary thing.

In any case you would be crazy to roam internationally on Verizon or Sprint. Verizon charges $20/MB to roam in Asia. That is YES $2,000 a GB.

The issue will be in the future NOT GSM/CDMA but chipsets that support all of the LTE bands and TD-LTE.

So Nextel was a disaster, merging TMO and Sprint wouldn't be as painful BUT not seamless either.

Already Sprint is behaving like the bigboys, so it's just a matter of time.

The BIG thing to watch is what is happening in the MVNO space. Verizon is practically absent, but AT&T and TMO are dueling in that space and there is REAL value there today. Sprint MVNO mostly suck (some can use LTE now) because they are using 3G and as we all know Sprint 3G is from the dial-up era.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

nonymous (banned)

Member

said by elefante72:

The BIG thing to watch is what is happening in the MVNO space.

Carlos Slim. Huge latin/ hispanic market. Plus bet he prefers mvno as less oversight than buying a telco.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

He is buying up lots. Net10, Walmart, page plus, simple, tracfone, etc... But there is lots of others out there working it too. Just moved rents to H20wireless which uses AT&T $30 for unlimted and 500MB. Quite a good deal and no taxes.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK to nonymous

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He make a killing off of the US customers via USF fees for all the "Lifeline" phones his companies aggressively sell and market to the recipient class.

graycorgi
Premium Member
join:2004-02-23

graycorgi to Zenit_IIfx

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to Zenit_IIfx
Edge is not enough bandwidth for navigation, at least not in the huge gaping hole of T-Mobile HSPA coverage that is Bristol TN/VA.