1src Forums - UTMS vs. cdma2000: 3G Showdown

02-11-2005, 05:07 PM	#1
zackepceo nothing to hide Join Date: May 2003 Location: skyline of numbers Posts: 1,290	UTMS vs. cdma2000: 3G Showdown So I've been looking for a new phone because my contract expires in June. I already hate Verizon for their lackluster phone selection and archaic policies, but the coverage is excellent. The price per month ($55 for 1000 whenever/unlimited nights and weekends, 2 phones, and unlimited in-network data transfer (which really means you can buy as many phone-locked BREW applications as you want and not be charged for the bandwidth, only the program)) is not that bad. But I think I really hate my phone more than I hate them... Anyway, whatever. I digress. I don't like CDMA very much because of the carriers. I would gladly go to Cingular/T-Mobile and buy a T637 and unlimited mobile internet, but that would leave me a little frustrated with the speed. I've been waiting for 3G cellular networks to come out since 2001, and every year they appear more and more in every place BUT the USA. Finally the time of local 3G is near. I have read up on 2 3G standards, one UTMS, the other cdma2000. UTMS Pros: Easy to scale existing GSM networks to UTMS, and all current UTMS phones are GSM/GPRS as well Garunteed high speeds (384kbps-2mbps) Not Verizon Existing spectrums Cons: Has to share frequencies with existing GPRS networks Expensive to retrofit cdma2000 Pros: Lots of fallback solutions (there's only 4 different types of cdma2000, and the old CDMA network probably is compatable) Up to 3.1 Mbps in speed with 1.8Mbps max upload speed Cons: Only Verizon (bad) and Sprint supporting it in the USA Highly variable speed Personally I think I'm going to try to find a UTMS phone.. what are your thoughts? __________________ "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism."

02-14-2005, 03:22 PM	#2
jjsahagun Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 79	No UMTS available in the US yet. Expect it by the end of the year.

02-14-2005, 03:36 PM	#3
zackepceo nothing to hide Join Date: May 2003 Location: skyline of numbers Posts: 1,290	Tests are being held in a few metropolitan area by Cingular. __________________ "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism."

02-15-2005, 11:56 AM

Homie S

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Join Date: Jun 2004

Posts: 277 Homie S is on a distinguished road

Quote:

Originally Posted by zackepceo

Tests are being held in a few metropolitan area by Cingular.

Do they really need to implement or find a new network already? Hell, they're still migrating customers from ATT over to Cingular.

02-15-2005, 02:31 PM	#5
zackepceo nothing to hide Join Date: May 2003 Location: skyline of numbers Posts: 1,290	No, the fact is that we can't really wait a few more years for this. America was planned to be fully 3G by 2003 at latest; it's now 2005 and the first nationwide 3G network isn't going to be open until the 4th quarter. Japan has had ~2mbps wireless service since about 2002, and the current cell phones are testing the limits of CDMA1 and GPRS. __________________ "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism."

02-16-2005, 07:48 AM	#6
Raptor22 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 150	I on the other hand havent even heard about this new UMTS network.

02-16-2005, 02:32 PM	#7
zackepceo nothing to hide Join Date: May 2003 Location: skyline of numbers Posts: 1,290	UMTS is mostly non-american wireless service for now. __________________ "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism."

02-23-2005, 07:58 AM

Raptor22

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Join Date: Mar 2004

Location: Florida

Posts: 150 Raptor22 is on a distinguished road

Quote:

Originally Posted by zackepceo

UMTS is mostly non-american wireless service for now.

It is now being transfered over to US for us to use? How is that network work compared to the new GSM for Cingluar/at&t and CDMA sprint?

02-23-2005, 06:10 PM	#9
zackepceo nothing to hide Join Date: May 2003 Location: skyline of numbers Posts: 1,290	Both coverage areas are expected to be the same, ie. 'nationwide', but in practace UMTS should deliver the most coverage due to the sheer number of Cingular/AT&T antennas. __________________ "No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism."