CDMA and GSM continue their battle for 3G supremacy

In the ongoing battle for mobile market supremacy, CDMA and GSM groups are at it again. Enhanced 3G services are going to be the next big thing, and it could be the opportunity for CDMA backers to catch up with GSM, the current leader in market share.

CDG (CDMA Development Group) proudly defends the EV-DO Rev.A innovation, reporting that it is more powerful than its GSM equivalent, HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access). HSDPA is already supported by two service providers and 12 currently available handsets. GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association, the organization behind GSM) reports that they have the backing of at least 50 service providers including Korea’s SK Telecom and KTF.

LG Telecom, by contrast, is set to commence CDMA’s EV-DO Rev.A service next year. CDG reports that this solution provides faster speed for reverse link, and QoS for VoIP or video telephony. Airvana, another EV-DO company, predicts most CDMA 2000-based carriers will adopt the EV-DO Rev.A technology. Furthermore, According to CDG, Revision B should be available in 2008 and is said to allow for the combination of up to fifteen 1.25 MHz carriers in both forward and reverse link and transfer speeds of up to 73.5Mbps.