Is CDMA Dying????

agentHibby is correct. All 3G phones will be based on W-CDMA. CDMA makes the most efficient use on the frequency spectrum.

 

Not all 3G is W-CDMA. There are 2 main 3G protocols: W-CDMA is for GSM; CDMA2000 xxx is used by CDMA users. And then there is GSM 1x, but forget that for now.

Maybe some points can be cleared up this way:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W-CDMA

Misconceptions:
Despite the similarity in name, W-CDMA has very little to do with CDMA. How little depends on the point of the viewer.

History:

W-CDMA was developed by NTT DoCoMo as the air interface for their 3G network FOMA. Later NTT DoCoMo submitted the specification to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a candidate for the international 3G standard known as IMT-2000. The ITU eventually accepted W-CDMA as part of the IMT-2000 family of 3G standards. Later, W-CDMA was selected as the air interface for UMTS, the 3G successor to GSM.

W-CDMA also uses the CDMA multiplexing technique, due to its advantages over other multiple access techniques such as TDMA, and has many similarities to the Qualcomm standards. Indeed, Qualcomm receives royalties due to the unavoidable use of its patents and research in the implementation of the CDMA multiplexing technique in W-CDMA. However W-CDMA is more than a multiplexing standard. W-CDMA is a complete set of specifications, a detailed protocol that defines how a mobile phone communicates with the tower, how signals are modulated, how datagrams are structured, etc

In Summary:

*The term CDMA in the mobile world typically refers to the CDMA family of standards developed by Qualcomm. They are protocols, sets of defined specifications of mobile communications.

*CDMA (the multiplexing technique) is used as the principle of the W-CDMA air interface protocol, as well as Qualcomm's CDMA protocols.

*W-CDMA strictly refers to a mobile phone protocol with detailed specifications, as defined in IMT-2000.

*The W-CDMA protocol was developed independently of the CDMA protocol developed by Qualcomm, although drawing on Qualcomm's research.

*The CDMA family of standards (including cdmaOne and CDMA2000) are not compatible with the W-CDMA family of standards

 

There is also TD-CDMA tham TM CZ launched (and I think might be used in China??)

http://www.mobileburn.com/pressrelease.jsp?Id=1738&source=ARCHIVE

 

I hadn't heard of this one, but I meant the main two 3G systems. But I found this:The Tmobile TD-CDMA is a IPWireless UMTS protocol (www.umtstdd.org). It seems to be in places, but not China.

The Chinese have something else called TD-SCDMA. Maybe this is what you mean?

Again, according to Wikipedia, with an interesting twist:

TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) is a 3G mobile telecommunications standard, being pursued in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Technology (CATT), Datang and Siemens AG, in an attempt to develop home-grown technology and not be "dependent on Western technology" [1]. It is based on spread spectrum CDMA technology. The launch of an operational system is projected by 2005.

The greatest advantage of td-scdma is its asymmetrical data rate. I.e. it offers different speeds for downlink and uplink, which is ideal for internet environment. To achive this, td-scdma uses concept of TDD(time division duplixing).

 

I think that the most disturbing confusion I hear 'on the street' is the following comment: "oh, I hear that all carriers are moving to W-CDMA/CDMA, whatever. Maybe I'll stick with my Verizon phone since that is the future for global roaming." Nothing could be further from the the truth. The phone (both Verizon and current plain GSM) hardware is incompatible with W-CDMA standards. It is true that the CDMA air spread spectrum multiplexing concept will be used (and even that is not the same in details as the current US CDMA version), but not the CDMA protocol standards.

This is based on confusion with the acronyms used in the industry. I hope the above clears this up.

 

viefly, you're correct, I was off by a letter in China.

 

See image and article on this page

http://www.cdg.org/technology/3g/migration.asp

 

I'd only agree that CDMA IS-95A is dying. It's not a problem, because every later flaver is backwards compatible to it.

COtech

 

Thanks for the pointer KevinJames. Qualcomm, from a business point of view, would love to have TDMA carriers upgrade to CDMA2000 to 3G. But instead, using Cingular and ATT as an example, they decided to migrate from TDMA to the GSM pathway and on to 3GSM.

I think also that Qualcomm would love ($$) to have the current 1.6 Billion GSM users and their carriers adopt GSM 1x structure (with equipment and handsets that operate on CDMA2000 and GSM), but the GSM carrier groups prefer 3GSM (except for some GSM 1x used by China Unicomm?) in great majority. They believe CDMA2000 is an old techonlogy compared to UTMS/3GMS and beyond.

IMO, it comes down to geobusiness and geopolitics...technology doesn't always come first.

 

If you visit a store in Japan or S. Korea you will see a very wide variety of feature rich CDMA handsets.

 

Here in the US though CDMA is becoming the red-headed stepchild of cell phone technology.

 

That's the business model of some of the large CDMA carriers. They've developed a very profitable model.


They'd change PDQ if people started leaving.

 

VZW has built a loyal customer base with coverage, not phones. Not many people are ready to switch for a cooler phone--I know I'm not about to because I've seen the problems my parents have had with Cingular over the last 5 months. In the meantime, I'll just wait for a phone that better fits my desire/taste.

 

CDMA is just Not growing in other Countries,
if this is what you mean.
Some countries had to Shut it Down for Lack of
Customers.
It's too Late to build it now with the Introduction of WCDMA,
over GSM.

 

Jones,

WiMAX is the future and beyond that 802.20.

Did you you read the comments that Nokia made at the WSIS this week? They are trying to steer people away from PCs. They are clearly worried about WiMAX now that Intel is one of its major backers.

The thought of a sub $100 laptop with WiMAX in the hands of more school kids then currently have cell phones must send enough shivers through Nokia to register on the seismographs in Finland.

(This is written on a Pre N wireless system with a 300 m range.)

 

I meant CDMA IS-95A.
Analog & TDMA will have a sure death, that's for sure.

 

I think so. The majority of the world is using GSM technology. I think the merger frenzy will contiue and it's amatter of time before the mergers be on a global scale. Example if Vodaphone buys Verizon I can almost guarantee that verizon's network will be converted over to GSM. I'm patiently waiting to see the next wave of technology and where it leads us.

 

Vodafone will not buy the rest of Verizon, I can guarantee you that Verizon Communications will not let go of their asset of Verizon Wireless.

 

Even if Vodafone bought Verizon's part of VZW, they would never convert the network to GSM. That would be a big mistake for many reasons, the most obvious of which is $$. The cost to convert all of VZW's network would take a long time and lots of money. That's just ludicrous.

 

1. I don't think its gonna happen
2. Verizon is too heavily invested in CDMA to make a radical switch like that now
3. The costs involved in replacing ALL of their equipment and ALL customer handsets would be astronomical. and they couldn't make the change overnight. They would have do do something like Cingular is doing and operate a CDMA network along side of a GSM network for several years before they could shut down their CDMA network.

-Jay

 

I am not going to argue the fact that GSM is dominant worldwide over CDMA. However CDMA 1X is still growing, even worldwide.

As far as Verizon converting there whole network to GSM, that would be the demise of Verizon. Too much money, and the integration would cost subscribers, as it would not go smooth imo.

 

Look at Vodaphones history there were companies who they took over way larger than verizon and then spun off the wireline business. I wouldn't put anything past this company. I think the reason why they haven't done it so far is because they are still trying to intergrate some of the other aquisitions and still strenghtening some of there markets in Europe. But from What I am seeing they are dying for a US company. I hear they are content with Verizon but waiting for the right time to make a move in the US. Who knows they might go for Cingular since their networks are compatible. But If AT&T buys bellsouth that might be a little to much for them to do.

 

Here is an article from Dow Jones, concerning the mobile phone market in Brazil showing a shift towards postpay service.

The company with the largest market share according to this article, Vivo, which is a joint venture of Telefonica Moviles SA and Portugal Telecom, uses (and is the only company in Brazil that uses) CDMA technology.

 

I like CDMA I personally think the sound quality is better but that is me.

 

Whoah here people (not picking on you jay) CDMA and GSM (as you/I know it today) are both the "red headed stepchild". The only difference is that EVDO and beyond are simple "upgrades" to existing CDMA 2000 based networks. And UMTS/W-CDMA are totally new networks as is GPRS/EDGE and HSDPA. GSM basically stopped at GSM. Everything beyond GSM required a totally new network to be deployed. The next generation of networks (beyond todays 3g) for both sides of todays network dominance battle is going to be......TD-SCDMA/OFDM. Believe it or not both are on the same coin. And not quite opposite sides. Kinda like potatoe and potato. I'm not trying to offend anyone. But both sides are going to end up on the same door step, knocking on the same door asking for the same person. As it looks right now CDMA will get there faster GSM here in the U.S.

 

I know, it just seemed to be funny at the time for me to say that. You know me, I'll go for the cheap laugh every time.

-Jay

 

Yeah you do!!!:lmao: