A tale of two networks - Reviews - Cool Gear - Mobile Phones

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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A tale of two networks

July 18, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/mobiles/soa/A-tale-of-two-networks/0,139023387,120266764,00.htm

Australia is in the fairly unique position of having two different mobile standards in the country, GSM and CDMA.

In addition to which handset and which service provider to opt for, consumers now have to chose which network to sign up to. So, what are the differences between the two networks?

GSM, the first mobile network to be set up in Australia, is short for Global System for Mobile communications. It uses narrowband TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), and allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency, according to Webopedia.

Code-Division Multiple Access, or CDMA technology, uses the full available spectrum with individual conversations being encoded with a pseudo-random digital sequence.

According to an ACCC report, the key differences between the two networks include the frequency they operate on (GSM operates in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands and CDMA operates in the 800MHz band) and the cell size for CDMA has a radius of 50 kms compared to 30 kms for GSM. This means that fewer CDMA cells than GSM cells are needed to cover a particular area.

From a consumer viewpoint, a Telstra spokesperson told ZDNet Australia that CDMA has some advantages over GSM, including a higher degree of noise suppression and higher data speeds on Internet browsing. It also penetrates better into buildings and other built up areas.

-By the end of next year CDMA will cover 1.3 million square kilometres, and reach up to 98 percent of the population. GSM reaches 97 percent of the population," he said.

At the moment, CDMA phones do not have a SIM card, but are unique to the network they are initiated on, and in order to switch networks the phone has to be reprogrammed.

According to the spokesperson the Telstra is covering its bases with the two networks. -It allows Telstra to have the option of upgrading to 3G use if and when the business case eventuates."