What is the diffrence in types of service

[wbandyjr74]

Lets see i live in Mass and i see others talk about gms and all that..I have cingular so what do they use? I am really thinking of going to verizon so what do they use? In another post imentioned both phones were staticy and drop calls, But on the road verizon seems better 4 me..Anyways the new phone Verison has LGVX1 How would that do over my nokia 5165 and the V120c ? Radio shack says it has 1T or something like that..What does it all mean?

[Joe0378]

I can definitely answer one part. Cingular here in the northeast uses GSM network. Verizon uses CDMA network. With GSM, you are limited to where you are on the network before being charged roaming. In the south, Cingular has TDMA network which offers real nationwide roaming. I'd go for the Verizon Plan. I have it and it's great.

[KevinJames]

wbandyjr:

Depending on how interested you are (how much time you want to spend) in educating yourself, browse around at my weblinks: http://whitehare.topcities.com/WLinks.htm

[cryogenic]

Correction: In Mass, they use TDMA... he has a Nokia 5165, which is a TDMA phone... they ARE GSM in NYC, though, but not much more than that. They're TDMA just about everywhere else except CA, east TN, NC, SC, and coastal GA. Verizon is CDMA in your area, obviously. =)

[Jack]

I personally have no experience with the LGVX1 but someone on this board said that the ringer was too soft

Jack

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Cingular also has a small amount of GSM coverage in SoutWest Virginia. In Gate City, VA and on the other side from Bristol, VA up the interstate all the way up to Marion, VA.

It's not much coverage but they do have a little there.

[BillRadio]

I will agree with Jack. I went to Radio Shack to see if the VX-1 is "The One". I couldn't believe how wimpy the ringer was! Too bad since this phone has a lot going for it, including close to full power on analog.

-Bill Radio

[bobolito]

Verizon is CDMA all over the US.
Cingular, to avoid confusion, is BOTH GSM and TDMA all over the US coast to coast. They just SELL one type of service or the other depending on the area.

The ringer is way to soft, I miss almost every call because of it, Good thing ive got voicemail[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

[ATTWSCCR]

CDMA allows more channels to flow through one frequency but in doing so it allows for more dropped call/calls fading together/and of course static

TDMA transmits less channels wich allows for more cell sites=more money allthough the gain is better service.

AT&T Wireless covers the entire state of mass in thyeir regional plan

[jmccrane]

Originally posted by: bobolito
Verizon is CDMA all over the US.
Cingular, to avoid confusion, is BOTH GSM and TDMA all over the US coast to coast. They just SELL one type of service or the other depending on the area.

Actually, Cingular WILL be GSM coast-to-coast, but they won't be at that point until they overlay all of their TDMA areas...about a year or 2 for that to happen completely.

[bobolito]

Right...But, there's really no easy way to explain what I am trying to say. I was trying to clarify that a Cingular GSM customer already has national coverage through T-Mobile. If you tell people that Cingular is GSM in NYC but TDMA in CT, then they think their NYC GSM phone won't work in CT which is not true because they will get coverage from T-Mobile. Now, their conversion to GSM is another story. Sorry, I guess I created another confusion. That's why I try using the expression "Cingular sells GSM" and not "Cingular is GSM" for a particular area.

[ZaphodB]

Originally posted by: wbandyjr
Lets see i live in Mass and i see others talk about gms and all that..I have cingular so what do they use? I am really thinking of going to verizon so what do they use? In another post imentioned both phones were staticy and drop calls, But on the road verizon seems better 4 me..Anyways the new phone Verison has LGVX1 How would that do over my nokia 5165 and the V120c ? Radio shack says it has 1T or something like that..What does it all mean?

As they say in Chinese, qi ma kan hua. You cannot study flowers from horseback. Don't worry too much about what technology the companies use - in practice, GSM and CDMA and TDMA are pretty much indistinguishable to the end user. The main difference is the phones used, and the fact that CDMA and TDMA have analog backup if there is no digital signal.

Cingular in Massachusetts sell TDMA service, which means that you would be able to roam on AT&T's towers if there were no Cingular towers in an area in which you are travelling. It also means that if there is no digital signal you will be able to roam on analog (which may sound a bit staticky and will eat up your battery life, but may come in handy in the boondocks.)

Verizon sell CDMA service and have the most complete coverage across the US, though some is still analog-only.

T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream) are the GSM provider for Massachusetts. GSM service does not have analog backup. In some regions (MA is not one of them), GSM service has TDMA backup (one type of system for this is called GAIT).

I would say that your best bet is to get a Verizon phone - they have a 14-day trial period during which you can return the phone, break the contract, and pay only for the airtime used - and see if it works better where you will use your phone than your current Cingular phone. If so, keep it and cancel your Cingular phone.

Finally, I would be very wary of what salespeople (and, I'm sorry to say, especially Radio Shack salespeople) tell you about the phone. Your best bet is to investigate in two or three places and see what you come up with. Ultimately, it's how the phone works for you that matters, and not whether it's GSM or CDMA or TDMA.