The type of technology used by the wireless service provider (GSM, EDGE, CDMA, or TDMA) is essential when buying or selling a mobile phone.
While it is essential to choose the right mobile phone service plan from the service provider of your choice, it is also important to choose the right service provider in the first place.
Today, we will explore the different technologies that wireless service providers use to help you differentiate yourself.
In other words, we will check out GSM vs. EDGE vs. CDMA vs. TDMA.
General Findings: GSM vs. EDGE vs. CDMA vs. TDMA
| GSM | EDGE | CDMA | TDMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information stored on SIM cards. | Based on GSM. | May use SIM cards. | 2G system. |
| Switching phones means only switching cards. | Three times faster than GSM. | Provider stores information. | Predates GSM. |
| Most widely used, especially internationally. | Used by AT&T and T-Mobile. | Can’t change phones without provider approval. | No longer in use. |
| Switch SIM cards to use phone in other countries without roaming. | Used by Sprint, Virgin Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. |
The two main mobile phone technologies, CDMA and GSM, have been incompatible for years.
This incompatibility is why many AT&T phones do not work with Verizon and vice versa.
EDGE is the faster version of GSM, and TDMA is obsolete. Therefore, TDMA is no longer a viable option.
It effectively boils down to GSM and CDMA, with GSM overtaking CDMA in terms of ease of use for users and consumers.
Speed: GSM vs. EDGE vs. CDMA vs. TDMA
| GSM | EDGE | CDMA | TDMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3G network. | Three times faster than GSM. | 3G network. | 2G system. |
| Max speed of about 7.2 Mbps. | Only about 1 Mbps. | No longer available. | |
| Average speed of 2.11 Mbps. |
GSM and CDMA are both 3G networks, but GSM is the faster option. CDMA shows an effective download speed of around one megabit per second, while GSM claims speeds reach up to 7 Mbps.
In testing, the practical speed of GSM approached 2.11 Mbps, which is twice as fast as CDMA.
EDGE is a threefold faster and swifter standard based on GSM. It is designed to adapt to media streaming on mobile devices. AT&T and T-Mobile have EDGE networks.
Overall, EDGE stands out when it comes to speed.
Ease of use: GSM vs. EDGE vs. CDMA vs. TDMA
| GSM | EDGE | CDMA | TDMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uses SIM cards to store user data. | Works similarly to GSM. | Doesn’t use SIM cards. | Unavailable. |
| Transferring to a new phone means only swapping the SIM card. | Carrier must release or transfer user data to a new phone. | ||
| Better for international use. |
GSM network service providers place customer data on a removable SIM card.
This approach makes it easier to change phones. Remove the SIM card from the old phone and insert it into the new one.
GSM technology is prevalent in Europe. Combine that with a mobile phone with a removable SIM card, and you have a phone you can use when visiting abroad with a change of SIM card.
CDMA phones may or may not use SIM cards. User information is stored with your service provider, who must permit you to change phones.
CDMA phones must be programmed with all the carriers you use. When you change providers, the phone must be reprogrammed for that service provider, even if it is unlocked.
Overall, GSM is more comfortable for users as it is user-friendly and enables roaming for travelers.
Service Providers: GSM vs. EDGE vs. CDMA vs. TDMA
| GSM | EDGE | CDMA | TDMA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providers include T-Mobile and AT&T. | Same as GSM. | Providers include Sprint, Virgin Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. | Incorporated into GSM. |
| More popular internationally. |
GSM is the world’s most widely used mobile phone technology, popular in the United States and worldwide.
Cellular carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, and many smaller cellphone providers use GSM for their networks.
GSM is the most popular mobile technology in the United States and the most important in other countries.
China, Russia, and India have more GSM phone users than the United States. GSM networks often have roaming agreements with foreign countries, which makes GSM phones a good option for foreign travelers.
EDGE is an advancement of GSM, so it has the same availability as the previous standard.
CDMA competes with GSM. Sprint, Virgin Mobile, and Verizon Wireless, as well as other small mobile service providers, use standard CDMA technology in the United States.
Since 2015, all US carriers have had to unlock customers’ phones after fulfilling their contracts.
Even if you unlock the phone or buy a new unlocked phone, it is a GSM or CDMA phone, and one can only use it with compatible service providers.
However, an unlocked phone gives you a wider choice of service providers. You are not limited to just one.
TDMA, which precedes the most advanced standard in GSM technology, is integrated into GSM.
The major US providers of TDMA cell phone services, which used to be a 2G system, are no longer in use.
