Head spinning from all the cell phone acronyms and wireless tech jargon? Forget the Valium and chill out instead with our handy carrier technology chart. In seconds, you'll know what phones work with which networks and what it all means.
Ever wish there was some easy way to figure out what carriers use which networks and what phones work on each service provider's network? Well, now there is. We've created a handy carrier/network chart for the top four carriers, complete with cell phone listings and definitions of all the mind-boggling cell-technology acronyms.
The terms
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
There are three bands on this second generation (2G) digital network: 900MHz; 1,800MHz; and 1,900MHz. Australia currently supports 900MHz and 1,800MHz GSM bands. One feature that GSM phones have that their CDMA counterparts don't is a tiny, removable SIM card, which looks like a smaller, thinner multimedia memory card. It stores pertinent information about service such as your phone number and, in some cases, phone book and PIM data. The technology upgrade path to high-speed data for GSM (up to 9.6Kbps) is GPRS (2.5G), then EDGE (3G), which may offer speeds up to 384Kbps.
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
Developed by Qualcomm, this digital cellular network operates on two bands (800MHz and 1900MHz in Australia). CDMA is second-generation cellular technology (or 2G) and is currently available in Australia, parts of Africa, Pacific Asia, Latin America, United States, and Russia. (14.4Kbps)
1xRTT
We're still having a little trouble figuring out exactly what 1xRTT means, but Qualcomm, the developers of the technology, say that 1x stands for a single carrier, while RTT stands for radio transmission technology. All you really need to know is that 1xRTT (sometimes referred to as CDMA2000) is the name for the first phase in CDMA's evolution to third-generation (3G) technology, and networks based on the technology should roll out by mid-2002 for the US (Australia is still looking into this technology). From a voice standpoint, 1xRTT networks will allow for greater network capacity (more users; fewer dropped calls) and, in theory, better battery life for phones. Meanwhile, on the data side, carriers are hoping to initially offer ISDN-like speeds (up to 144Kbps) and ratchet up to broadband speeds in phase two of 3G deployment (referred to as 3xRTT).
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
GSM providers in Australia and abroad (particularly Europe) are migrating to a 2.5G all-digital technology called GPRS. The main benefit of GPRS is that users will have an "always on" wireless data connection and the service cost is metered for data transmission rather than time online. You won't have to wait several seconds to log on to the wireless Web like you do today on cellular networks. GPRS also offers a speed boost (up to 40Kbps), though it's questionable how much. Today's GSM networks offer 9.6Kbps while, (realistically) tomorrow's GPRS networks will offer something close to 28.8Kbps.
What's beyond GPRS? Something called EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution), a 3G (Not before 2004 for Australia), technology that is supposed to deliver data at speeds up to 384Kbps.
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