We’re going to be sitting down at CTIA next month with Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDMA Development Group (CDG). The CDG is the formal consortium of CDMA carriers, as well as network, chipset, and device manufacturers.
So, we’re going to as you to tell us what to ask the CDMA world. Anything is fair game, from the state of UMB, to open device access… and anything else you can think of.
Sound off in the comments and we’ll work your questions in to our interviews. Expect similar requests for other newsmakers in the coming weeks.
Why doesn’t CDMA work to get better phones? I mean if a Mercedes is better than Ford, wouldn’t you think you would see the difference and have several selections? Here in the U.S. we have three of the 5 big markets for wireless that have CDMA, and they are Verizon, Sprint, and Alltell, not counting MVNO’s, and then you have AT&T and T-Mobile for GSM. Just about everyday a new GSM phone comes out, and then several months a new CDMA phone comes out with weaker ratios. I know there has been a legal dispute with Broadcom and Qualcomm, but give me a break.
Why in the hell didn’t CDMA carriers in the U.S. implement SIM cards like they did just about everywhere else?
Digg This: http://digg.com/gadgets/What_Would_You_Ask_CDMA
RUIM!!
I concur with PhoneBoy:
CDMA should open up their phones and go towards SIM cards (R-UIM). They can then maybe make an opportunity of the same advantages that GSM phone makers do. More competition, quicker phone releases, etc. SIM cards and RUIM cards will be interchangeable in phones, allowing the consumer maximum flexibility. They will also be required to meet the same standards, facilitating uniform manufacturing standards.
“What is a RUIM Card?” WiseGeek. 2003-2008. 15 Mar 2008.
I concur with PhoneBoy:
CDMA should open up their phones and go towards SIM cards (R-UIM). They can then maybe make an opportunity of the same advantages that GSM phone makers do. More competition, quicker phone releases, etc. SIM cards and RUIM cards will be interchangeable in phones, allowing the consumer maximum flexibility. They will also be required to meet the same standards, facilitating uniform manufacturing standards.
“What is a RUIM Card?” WiseGeek. 2003-2008. 15 Mar 2008 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-ruim-card.htm.
These are all good questions however you are likely to hear that it was not up to them. They probably pushed the R-UIM cards but the US carriers chose not to.
Also it is up to the Carrier and the OEM to launch phones. The CDG is more in the network. Asking him the future of CDMA or stuff about UMB would be more likely to get a response.
Just my 2 cents
I’d like to know if WiMax is still a touchy subject for them now that UMB has failed to gain traction, even in Japan and South Korea.
A lot of people want to know about R-UIM, because to consumer’s it’s the most pain-free approach to open device access.
However, to the carriers… it isn’t. To them, it’s a matter of providing complex specifications to manufacturers so that they can conform their devices to multiple carriers… oh, and have settings and complex menu configurations that the typical consumer would have difficulty entering.
Ideally, we’ll see open device protocols that allow manufacturers to add a Carrier Configuration menu to their settings, that will enable users to change carriers simply by choosing them from a list… ideally.
Where do they see the future of CDMA going? With CDMA’s poster-child, Verizon Wireless, heading off in the direction of LTE (a technology based on GSM), and the global standard gaining more support via the EU (fixed roaming rates, compatible phones), where will CDMA be in 2, 5, and even 10 years from now? WiMax is likely the viable solution, but just how viable? Does CDMA ever see itself competing with GSM on the same level?
Here are my questions/thoughts:
1) Will there ever be interoperability between GSM, iDEN & CDMA Networks? Globally? Domestically?
2) Will unlocking of CDMA phones to be used on any carrier (like what Verizon is trying to do) become a global standard?
3) With the patent issues Qualcomm is having, are other chipset manufacturers looking to develop CDMA chips? Are costs of CDMA devices going up if Qualcomm continues to have issues?
4) Do you see any more consolidation in the wireless industry? Regional Carriers?
That is all I can think of.
As for the R-SIM cards, they would be nice, but would they be like sims on GSM networks?
To hopefully shed insight on why CDMA handsets seem to lag behind GSM handsets, I’d like to point you to http://www.au.kddi.com/english/ .
This is the English website of Japanese CDMA carrier KDDI AU.
This company is the only carrier in the world to offer two-way video calling over EVDO Rev. A as well as handsets with impressive displays, TV tuners, full digital cameras with CCD lenses and professional grade optics. The biggest issue with bringing these phones over is development and handset cost.
You say you want better CDMA phones that equal high end GSM handsets, but are you actually willing to pay for it?
Unsubsidzed CDMA phones in the US range from $150-$600 ranging from low-end clamshells to smart devices.
The current Spring lineup at KDDI is almost four times the $150 figure for the cheapest 1x WIN model unsubsidized and six times the $600 figure given for a high-end unsubsidized CDMA handset.
They do not carry smart devices, preferring to develop custom API’s for BREW and Java along with Flash Lite for UI development.
The only reason you see this level of CDMA devices on the carrier is due to the MASSIVE subsidies (in some cases OVER 100%) given by the carrier in order to attract customers, as well as the equally massive discounts for upgrading.
Verizon and Sprint would never be willing to subsidize such devices at such levels, because they realize the market for them is too small to turn a profit.
AU also supports the R-UIM standard, but if anyone’s ever actually seen the firmware for an AU phone, everyone would realize the merit in Chris’ comment on why it would be difficult to implement the standard in the US
Are there any US wireless phone Carrier going use the R-UIM Card any time soon?
in the US:
The best, new phone offered for GSM ( plans are expensive: At&T, T-mobile )
The best Network coverage, none expensive PREPAID wireless are offered for the CDMA ( Verizon, Sprint … but phone not modern ).
So the question, with that carrier could i use PREPAID Wireless with R-UIM, i could enjoy the features of GSM phones+CDMA ” money SAVING” ?
Any help with that question?