What does GSM and CDMA mean?
GSM and CDMA (actually CDMA2000) are so-called mobile radio standards, which are mainly used to transfer data between cell phones, smartphones and tablets.
GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication
GSM belongs to the second generation (2G) of mobile radio standards and is widespread in Germany. The standard was introduced in the early 1990s and has contributed to the rapid spread of mobile phones in Germany.
- GSM is primarily designed for constant data transmission such as telephony and sending faxes.
- However, due to the poor data transmission rate of GSM, the standard has now been expanded to include GPRS and EDGE, which offer faster data access.
CDMA2000: Code Division Multiple Access
CDMA2000 or colloquially CDMA is particularly widespread in the USA and a third generation (3G) mobile radio standard. In this country, UMTS is used rather than a 3G system, since the transmission frequencies of CDMA2000 would collide with those of GSM.
- With its EV-DO and EV-DV extensions, CDMA2000 achieves a transfer rate of up to 3 Mbit / s for downloads and up to 1.8 Mbit / s for uploads.
- CDMA2000 is based on the CDMA code division and derives its name from it. However, CDMA is also used in GSM, UMTS and GPS to transmit data.
Network operators are currently in the process of introducing the new fourth-generation LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE-Advanced mobile radio standards, which enable even faster data transmissions.