Mobile is the basic need of every human being. We can communicate with each other through this phone. Previously, people used the land phone. But you cannot take the land phone along with you. So the mobile phone makes people’s life much easier. In mobile also, there are two types. GSM and CDMA. Most people do not know the actual difference between CDMA and GSM.

This article will discuss the main difference between CDMA and GSM Phones. From this article, you will learn GSM full form, CDMA full form, and SIM card full form.

People planning to purchase a mobile phone might get confused about which one to buy – CDMA and GSM phones.

Many people do not understand the actual difference between GSM and CDMA phones. However, both the CDMA and GSM mobile phone technologies have been in the market for a long time, and many service providers sell both types of phones with attractive packages.

The CDMA mobile is compatible with other mobile technologies, and it allows nationwide roaming. In today’s world, mobile service is being used every part of the world. CDMA and GSM are the two technologies that are dominating the communication world. However, these two technologies are different from one another.

Difference between CDMA and GSM phones

GSM, CDMA, and SIM Card Full Forms

Let’s see the full form of these abbreviations.

What does CDMA and GSM stand for? 

GSM Full Form: Global system for mobile communication, but initially, it was Groupe Special Mobile

CDMA Full Form: Code Division Multiple Access

SIM Card Full Form: Subscriber Identity Module Card

Though GSM is used more than CDMA, in the United States of America, people use CDMA widely compared to GSM.

In the United States of America or the USA, some of the CDMA providers are Bell Mobility (USA), BSNL (India), Verizon (USA), Reliance (India), and MTS Mobility (USA).

In terms of international roaming, GSM is more accessible and available worldwide. You can find many GSM providers across the world. For example – Vi (India), T-Mobile (UK), Cell C (South Africa), AT & T (USA), and Vodafone (multiple countries).

Firstly, we should understand that GSM and CDMA are not actually technologies but the name of specifications or standards for wireless communication.

GSM, which is mostly known as Global System for Mobile, originally from the Groupe Special Mobile, dominates the market. The market share of GSM Services is more than 80%. GSM is far ahead of the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)

If we discuss the practical terms of both mobile phones, the main difference between CDMA and GSM phones is that Code Division Multiple Access is a handset-based standard. 

That means you just cannot use any mobile available in the market, go to the market and purchase a CDMA mobile from the service provider of the CDMA service.

It also means you and your mobile number are bound to the CDMA mobile set, but only the SIM card is bound to your mobile phone and the contact number in the GSM mobile. 

So if you are using a GSM phone, you can easily change your mobile anytime you want. First, you have to do an essential thing, remove the SIM card from the mobile and insert the SIM into the new mobile.

That’s enough of the theoretical details of CDMA and GSM Phones. Next, let’s see about the technical details of the CDMA mobile and GSM mobile.

All CDMA phone comes with a specific code associated with the mobile.

One network gives coverage to the area where you can identify the device by the code.

In terms of the network of GSM phones, the cell tower serves every single SIM in the area where the SIM arrives. 

So the SIM keeps changing the serving tower as you change the location. So it needs an appropriate number to cover the area.

Difference between CDMA and GSM phones

Specifications GSM CDMA
Full-form Global System for Mobile Communication Code Division Multiple Access
Data Storage Data is stored in the SIM card Data stored in the internal memory
Phone Number Binding The phone number binds with the handset’s SIM card The phone number binds with the handset
Phone Change Full liberty to purchase any mobile from the market The service provider changes the handset
Data Transfer Technologies HSDPA, EDGE, 3G, 4G VoLTE, and LTE, 5G EVDO, 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G
Data Transfer Speed A bit slower Faster
Battery Consumption Low High

What Does GSM and CDMA mean?

GSM Phone Meaning

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) is a mobile phone system used for data trans receiving, and for the mobile network, it is considered the second-generation standard.

GSM operated three various carrier frequencies like 1800MHz, 900MHz, and 1900MHz. The original GSM system uses 900MHz, and 1800Mhz to increase the customer numbers. However, in the United States of America, mostly the 1900MHz frequency band is used.

Advantages of GSM

  • High-quality speech.
  • The mobile set comes at a low cost.
  • International roaming.

CDMA Phone Meaning

CDMA or Code Division Multiple Access is a type of cellular communication that is quite similar to the GSM service. It is the second-generation and third-generation standard for the mobile network. CDMA is the most secure communication mode.

CDMA is one type of multiplexing where the signals occupy the transmission channel and optimize the bandwidth. UHF or Ultra high-frequency technology system has a range from 800MHz to 1.9GHz

Advantages of CDMA

  • The allocation of resources is flexible.
  • There is no limitation for the users.
  • The CDMA channel is 1.23 MHz wide.

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