Red Pocket Mobile CDMA vs. LTE – should you choose the older network over the newer standard?

Numerous people are well-aware of different radio systems that mobile phones use, and are operating in parallel throughout the world. These are the LTE, and the CDMA networks, which are widely in use when transferring data and voice throughout a mobile network. This might raise a question though – what do they mean for you, really?

These two technologies are very similar to each other, as they are both wireless cellular technologies – although the CDMA is older than the LTE. CDMA has very close ties with GSM, which is very similar in terms of its age and usage – both working on older mobile phones.

Because they are both ‘G’ networks (LTE being 4G and CDMA being 2G/3G), the simplest way to explain the ‘G’ label is that it is an acronym for ‘generation’. That means that 3G is the older generation of network technology (second or third), while LTE is the fourth generation of network technology. Both the LTE and CDMA are classified as WAN (cellular networks), which allow for seamless coverage over a wide geographical area, which makes them easy to adapt when you want to increase voice and data coverage.

What are the differences between CDMA and LTE?

	CDMA (Red Pocket Mobile)	LTE (Verizon) (Winner)
Cellular network standard	2G/3G	4G
Upload speeds	1.8 Mbps	2-5 Mbps
Download speeds	3.1 Mbps	5-12 Mbps
	Check here	Check here

CDMA vs. LTE – How they compare

Mode of operation

LTE only supports data connectivity, while CDMA supports both data and cellular connectivity. Prior to the entrance of LTE into the market, it was very easy to pick out a device that used CDMA connectivity, as not all of them used SIM cards to access the internet.

CDMA is generally one of the second-generation systems that work for cellular devices, although the entrance of 5G technology should eliminate the split between 2G/3G and 4G networks. Ituses a technique known as ‘spread-spectrum’, which uses the spreading of electromagnetic signals in order to achieve wider bandwidths. This method lets a variety of users on different phones to access frequencies in the bandwidth through ‘multiplexing’.

We pick the CDMA as the more versatile option in the connection and operation mode, since it uses both cellular and data connections.

Application and speeds

The method of CDMA application is the separation of voice and data packets through the use of codes, which will then transmit these packets through use of a wide frequency range. Because there is greater bandwidth for data packets, the standard made it attractive for mobile phone developers that built their devices on 3G internet technology.

Even though CDMA has high bandwidth speeds when compared with the older GSM standard, GSM actually offers greater coverage because of roaming contracts across wider varieties of spaces. The problem with CDMA is that devices which support it will usually experience issues when you are using them in a 4G network.

In theory, the speeds that an LTE network would offer is a minimum of 100 Mbps, and a maximum of 1 Gbps – but only when there are no obstructions when connecting to the internet. Overall, it is a network technology that is very easy to deploy, as it does not suffer from latencies over long distances (which CDMA tends to struggle with) and still offers high speeds.

That does not mean all LTE networks are equal though, as some networks are unable to meet the speed goals. The difference is a result of the frequency bandwidths it spreads out its signals on – 20 MHz, 15 MHz, 10 MHz, 5 MHz, 3 MHz, and 1.4MHz. These blocks will act as the space that the network operator allocates to a network, and the operator can choose to start with a smaller bandwidth then increase it as demand increases.

We choose the LTE network here, as it has backward-compatibility with older networks such as 2G and 3G, as opposed to CDMA that can only handle the 3G technology at most. This makes the LTE more versatile in connectivity and application.

CDMA vs. LTE – A comparison review

CDMA – Overview

An acronym for Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA is a mobile phone service technology that works on both 3G and 2G networks. Because of this, it mainly supports older phones, and is being phased out by developments in networks and connectivity in general, with the LTE acting as a ‘replacement’ technology. CDMA was first designed by the U.S. Company Qualcomm, and is still in use today – mostly in some parts of Asia and the U.S.

CDMA phones usually do not include a SIM card slot, although some devices will include it, while a GSM phone will include the slot. In theory, it is possible to use a GSM phone with any SIM card, but CDMA devices will only use the whitelists that the CDMA carrier will create for network subscription – which means that you can only sue a CDMA network that is compatible with the device.

Pros

• Can distribute a signal across a wide bandwidth, making it strong against busy environments
• It is very hard to intrude the CDMA bandwidth spectrum
• Allows use of entire bandwidth at the same time
• Reduces the chances of call disconnection or drops
• Easy to operate with other cellular networks

Cons

• Lacks support for international roaming (which GSM offers)
• Requires time synchronization at all times
• Performance tends to degrade when the numbers of users increase
• Requires expensive equipment to function optimally

LTE – Overview

In many ways, LTE is seen as a faster and more advanced network technology, and many network operators see it as a method of simplifying their infrastructure to improve the quality of their offerings while reducing operation costs. Also known as Long-Term Evolution, it is a 4G network standard that is slightly faster than 4G, though slightly slower than 5G.

Its development means that many devices use it today, including tablets and smartphones. It also remains active even when you disconnect from a Wi-Fi network, such as when you are traveling or when you go out of range of a router. Certain features that highlight its benefits include faster connection speeds, multimedia streaming, as well as a better underlying technology to handle VoIP (voice calls).

In order to use LTE, you will only need a phone or device, as well as a mobile network that can support it. That means that the device itself needs to be LTE-compatible, which is a guarantee in newer phone models, but not so much in older phones. The devices that use it might be labelled as 4G LTE, and you will need to be in an LTE coverage area to take advantage of the service.

LTE is capable of supporting a maximum of 200 active data clients at full speed for every 5MHz it allocates to every cell – which means an LTE tower of 20MHz can support a maximum of 800 clients.

Pros

• Has improved support for more mobile devices simultaneously
• Offers better download and upload speeds
• Experiences low latency in data transfer
• Has greater refinement to handle voice calls, through using VoLTE (Voice over LTE)

Cons

• Requires the installation of new equipment, which increases the startup costs for service providers
• LTE technology requires extra antennas for data transmission

Verdict: So what is better? CDMA or LTE?

Due to its higher speeds overall, and greater efficiency in sending data, the LTE is the winner of this review. As much as we like the CDMA standard, it is going to be phased out as time goes by – so in order to future-proof your connection, the LTE is the future standard you need to employ.