Can I Use a Cdma Sim Card in a Gsm Phone?

A CDMA Sim card cannot be used on a GSM phone because the two technologies operate on different frequencies. However, according to Covenant University Repository, there was a proposal that presented two network architectures, with a mechanism that enabled the bundling of the GSM and the CDMA spectrums, intending to enhance spectrum efficiency while minimizing the high rate of dropped calls.

The Architecture as of 2017 wouldn’t require the operators to get any special licensing, and even better is that it could be implemented using the already existing infrastructure, but with minimal changes that would affect the GSM operators. Now, here is how the system was to work; the Architecture was deemed to have the capabilities of improving spectrum utilization, while also enhancing the overall user experience through using the CDMA infrastructure to transmit excess voice traffic from GSM.

Implementation of the CDMA, GSM architecture

The implementation of the two architectures was to take place through the installation of specially designed transceiver cards, in the BTS that would enable the GSM operators to use the spectrum of the CDMA operators or utilize both the spectrum and infrastructure of the CDMA operators to channel the excess calls through their network.

The GSM operators will also get to retain their consumers, complete with their infrastructure and at the same time, the CDMA operators will be able to earn revenue from their infrastructure and spectrum. Consumers will, therefore, be able to continue using their mobile sets without necessarily having to switch them to accommodate the different technologies.

With the above in mind, you must have noticed the influx of phones that can now accommodate both technologies, giving consumers the freedom of getting a phone that they like without worrying about switching. Most importantly is that we are not suggesting the research presented by the Covenant University repository led to these developments but that the smart minds were at work working to end the stagnation between the two technologies.

Additionally, the introduction of the GSM and CDMA enabled phones could be due to a pre-existing research done earlier before 2017. Phones that were bought a long time ago from AT and T or T-mobile will most likely not work with the two technologies, but GSM only.

Worry not though because you are at liberty to invest in a phone that cannot only support two but four carriers, that is they combine GSM, CDMA, and LTE. Below is a list of the phones that support all the four carriers.

Model	Specifications
Motorola Moto G4	Storage 6GB, RAM 2GB; Battery 3000mAh
Motorola Moto E4	16GB storage and 2GB RAM, 2800mAh
Samsung Galaxy S7	32GB ROM, 4GB RAM, 3000mAh
Google Pixel 3	128GB 4GB RAM, 2915mAh
iPHone Xs	64GB 4GB RAM, 2658 mAh
iPhone Xs Max	256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM, 3174mAh

Scaling it down a little bit we have phones that can now accommodate both the CDMA and the GSM technologies such as the iPhone 6 series and the Samsung Galaxy S6 series.

Facts about CDMA and GSM phones

CDMA networks accommodate a greater number of users, thus have a greater capacity when compared to GSM.
LTE is GSM’s completion, it is, therefore, an evolved form of GSM, and even utilizes the same technology as the GSM networks. LTE offers enhanced voice quality and is the base of the high speed 4G data networks.
CDMA phones lacking the sim card slot are bounded to their carriers thus cannot be transferred to other networks.
GSM phones are easy to unlock and switch between networks
GSM phones can be used abroad but by countries that offer wider international roaming and those with compatible GSM networks.

Conclusion

LTE is slowly but surely rendering GSM and CDMA redundant, and worse still is that the technology does have the upper hand in that it has been determined to offer the best overall speed and quality as regard telecommunication. However, for users who are yet to move to LTE, the market is saturated with phones that utilize both technologies, and even better is that you can go ahead and invest in a phone that utilizes all four technologies to avoid the hustle of switching between networks.

FAQ’s

Are CDMA and GSM still relevant today?

Well, CDMA and GSM are not exactly relevant given that Verizon plans to turn off its CDMA network by the end of 2020, the same goes for T-mobile, which will be turning its GSM network by the end of 2020.