How to check if your phone is CDMA or GSM

Is your phone a CDMA or a GSM? This is why you should know, GSM is known for having a harmonized spectrum, meaning that consumers can switch between networks without necessarily having to change their numbers. The above is regardless of the different frequency bands that different countries utilize.

CDMA on the other hand is known to have a high spectral capacity, and can comfortably accommodate a high number of users per MHz of bandwidth. And for the individuals who live close to the CDMA base station, they can forget about the dropouts because they are likely to occur when the phone is twice as far from the base station.

How to check if your phone is CDMA or GSM

Sometimes we wonder what happens with the consumer reports, or is it that no one has raised concerns on how long the procedure is, of determining whether your phone is a CDMA or a GSM. Wouldn’t it be nice if it was brandished at the back of the phone somewhere close to the battery? So as we wait for that improvement, here is how you can establish whether your phone Android or iPhone is a CDMA or a GSM.

Check for the Simcard slot

Back in the day determining whether your phone is a GSM or a CDMA was easy all you had to do is establish whether your phone had incorporated a Simcard slot, if it had one then it was a GSM but if the sim card slot either at the side or underneath the battery compartment was missing then it was a CDMA.

Advancements in technology, however, abolished all the above, and below are the current sophisticated methods of determining the technology that a particular phone is using.

Check for the MEID, ESEN or IMEI number

Since a majority of the consumers use iPhone, the process will begin at the settings application, then select General, then about and proceed to look for a MEID, ESEN, or IMEI number, at the areas close to the bottom of the menu. For the Android users, they go to settings on their phones, then proceed to click on system then About phone and then select status. From the latter, you will be searching for MEID, ESN, or the IMEI number.

The above procedures will not reveal whether your phone is a CDMA or a GSM, if your phone is a CDMA, then it will have either a MEID or an ESN number, but if your phone only provides you with an IMEI number then it is a GSM. And here comes the best part, if your phone has both numbers, then you can be sure that your phone supports both technologies.

Use your phone’s model number

Another method of determining whether your phone is a CDMA or a GSM, is through the model numbers which, will be found printed at the back of the phone, but in case it isn’t  there then you will have to go through the procedure outlined above starting from settings. The above applies to both Android and iPhone users.

Once you have retrieved your phone’s model number, using your favorite browser, you will use Google search to find out if it is a GSM or a CDMA.

Who is your mobile phone carrier?

Another method for determining whether your phone is a CDMA or a GSM is through the respective carrier, if it is a Sprint phone, then it is a CDMA; if your phone is either from T-mobile or AT and T then it is a GSM. Verizon on the other hand uses the CDMA technology and it is not uncommon for you to find Verizon phones that have been equipped with both technologies.

Conclusion

Determining the technology that your phone is using is not hectic you can therefore check for the MEID, ESEN, OR IMEI number, retrieve your phone’s model number and use the web to determine whether it is a GSM or a CDMA. Phone carriers also utilize different technologies, users must therefore; find out, which carrier uses which technology.

FAQ’s

1. Is it possible to convert a CDMA phone to a GSM?

No, it is not possible because both phones operate on different frequencies; there are, however, some new models that can run both technologies.

2. Where is the CDMA technology used?

CDMA technology is used in ultra high-frequency cellular telephone system with bands ranging between 800MHZ and 1.9 GHz.