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CDMA Phones with SIM Slot. Will work or will not here in PH

  • i just want to know other members opinion about this topic

    there are some phones that are sold here that are CDMA phone (2G NETWORK: CDMA 800 / 1900) with sim slot that said to be working here in the Philippines,

    based on my research, CDMA and GSM are very different bands

    CDMA phones with sim slot that works here in the philippines are 3G dependent
    meaning if there are 3g network issues on a certain area problem will arrise such as having a weak signal since you cant shift to 2g network (network that even low end phones used to send and receive calls) since its 2g network band is not compatible with GSM band (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) that we are using here in the philippines

    since most cdma phones has a 3g network of HSDPA 850 / 1900, it still be usable here in our country but may face the said issue above

    hope to hear opinions of other members here to give broader knowledge about this topic

    :)

    -- edited by bumblebee14 on Jul 07 2013, 04:25 PM
  • as far as i know, only bayantel wireless landline uses cdma bands in the philippines.
  • its a fact that bayantel are not included in the list of mobile telecom here in our country :)

    the issue here is there are lots of CDMA with sim slot phones that are sold here in TCP but some members dont have the knowledge about this. in the end those who bought those phones will inform the seller having signal issue without them knowing that they are having 3g signal issue in their area

    in short, cdma phones with sim slot are 3g dependent, unstable signal here in PH

    am i right? :)
  • I'm not sure with other phones but I use a Nokia Lumia 822 which is a Verizon exclusive handset that uses CDMA bands. It has a SIM slot fortunately so I am able to use it with my Globe/Smart SIM card. And the WP8 OS allows me to choose if I want to use 2G or 3G or LTE signals.
  • Basically, you will be reliant on 3G signal when making calls and texts on CDMA only phones. It's practically the same as enabling "WCDMA only" under network settings. Once you get out of a place without 3G coverage, you're screwed unless you can switch back to a GSM band. 3G coverage is fine in urban areas like Metro Manila, but difficult in most provinces, especially areas without much development.

    A good precautionary measure would be researching first what the phone's radio specifications are. i.e. phones like the LG LU6200 which only has CDMA 2G and 3G bands, 3.5G HSPA 2100 and LTE 800 will only work in places with HSPA coverage since: 1) no carrier provides CDMA 2G and 3G services; 2) Smart operates LTE on bands 1, 3 and 5 (2100, 1800, 850 Mhz) while Globe operates LTE on band 3 (1800 Mhz). The LU6200 operates on LTE 800. No band specified, but the 800 Mhz frequency is clear enough indication that it will NOT work on either Smart or Globe's LTE network.

    To help you find out about coverage in your area, you can visit OpenSignal.com: <click here for link>

    P.S. This is exactly why some phones from other countries are being sold here cheap since most are oblivious to this kind of information. But there are quite a few phones out there that also support GSM bands in addition to the CDMA bands. It doesn't have to be exclusive.

    -- edited by Kestana on Jul 07 2013, 05:32 PM
  • @Kestana

    that what im pointing here :)

    there are lots of mobile phones here like lg models an those with network carrier logo that are said to work here but they are not aware that a cdma phone has issue here in the philippines

    i just want other members here to know the difference because sometimes ignorance of others are taken for granted by others

    and another thing, phones that only supports 3g network are most likely to drain bat faster since your 3g network is always on even if your not using mobile data

    -- edited by bumblebee14 on Jul 07 2013, 06:30 PM
  • @juancho

    yes lumia 822 phone is cdma but also supports gsm that why you able to switch from 3g to 2g

    <click here for link>

    there are phones like htc droidd 4g lte wherin their 2g support is only cdma 800/1900 and not functional here in the philippines, itss network functionality depends only in 3g network whick is hsdpa

    lumia 822 is not one of those since it supports both bands

    -- edited by bumblebee14 on Jul 07 2013, 06:28 PM

    -- edited by bumblebee14 on Jul 07 2013, 06:29 PM
  • based on my research, CDMA and GSM are very different bands

    in short, cdma phones with sim slot are 3g dependent, unstable signal here in PH

    am i right? :)

    actually, they use different principles. CDMA or NCDMA( narrowband code division multiple access) uses code division multiplexing while GSM uses time division multiplexing.

    Basically, you will be reliant on 3G signal when making calls and texts on CDMA only phones.

    AFAIK, CDMA is not the same as WCDMA. CDMA or narrowband CDMA is a 2G tech, similar to GSM. in fact, yan ang 2 magkalaban na 2G tech. EU and most of Asia embraced GSM while USA embraced CDMA. sa Pinas meron dati cdma noon courtesy of Mobiline (now Talk n Text). pero komonti ang subscriber neto dahil sa isang feature ng GSM na hindi available sa CDMA network - ang SMS or text message. so CDMA phones, basically wont work on Smart and Globe networks since it is not supported by the carrier. AFAIK yung pagkareceive ng txt at tawag, nasa network yan not on phone. a GSM phone can send and receive text message and call from a CDMA phone and vice versa, as long as the carrier/network support such feature.

    ang WCDMA o kilala sa atin as 3G ay evolution ng GSM. sa CMDA, CDMA2000 ang tawag.

    -- edited by scandinavian_armor on Jul 07 2013, 06:59 PM
  • AFAIK yung pagkareceive ng txt at tawag, nasa network yan not on phone. a GSM phone can send and receive text message and call from a CDMA phone and vice versa, as long as the carrier/network support such feature.


    what where pointing here is not how you receive call or text, its about how the signal strength varies if the phones 2g support is only cdma and not gsm.
    Its about the risk of buying cdma phone with sim slot without doing a research on how bands work

    Once you get out of a place without 3G coverage, you're screwed unless you can switch back to a GSM band


    iv experienced this once but im aware of the said issue
  • AFAIK, CDMA is not the same as WCDMA. CDMA or narrowband CDMA is a 2G tech, similar to GSM. in fact, yan ang 2 magkalaban na 2G tech. EU and most of Asia embraced GSM while USA embraced CDMA. sa Pinas meron dati cdma noon courtesy of Mobiline (now Talk n Text). pero komonti ang subscriber neto dahil sa isang feature ng GSM na hindi available sa CDMA network - ang SMS or text message. so CDMA phones, basically wont work on Smart and Globe networks since it is not supported by the carrier. AFAIK yung pagkareceive ng txt at tawag, nasa network yan not on phone. a GSM phone can send and receive text message and call from a CDMA phone and vice versa, as long as the carrier/network support such feature.

    ang WCDMA o kilala sa atin as 3G ay evolution ng GSM. sa CMDA, CDMA2000 ang tawag.


    I never said CDMA and WCDMA are the same thing. :)

    But I get what you're saying. It's just that WCDMA adoption for telecommunication services classified as 3G is widespread. It can be deployed on top of either existing GSM or CDMA-based sites or repeaters. This is why most newer 3G CDMA phones support WCDMA. Hence, I said that those CDMA phones sold here would have to rely on 3G signal. EVDO is the competing standard, but it was nowhere near widely adopted worldwide. Not too many EVDO-only phones out there btw.

    2G used to be pretty fragmented. I believe that the adoption of WCDMA by most carriers worldwide as their 3G protocol is their attempt at consolidation.

    -- edited by Kestana on Jul 07 2013, 08:49 PM
  • maybe we can list out some phones na 3g dependent
    those phones na cdma with sim slot to help others in choosing waht to buy and be aware of these said issue
  • maybe we can list out some phones na 3g dependent
    those phones na cdma with sim slot to help others in choosing waht to buy and be aware of these said issue


    Too many to list down imo. We don't need to spoodfeed them. 5 minutes of Googling is more than enough to verify if the model they're interested in purchasing will work here or not.
  • you have a point
  • my verizon s3 is already unlocked but the serial number stays the same starting with "9". wala po akong signal sa indoors pero may signal outdoors. may chance ba ma-resolve yung signal indoors? or normal lang sa cdma phones na mahina ang signal?

    i tried goping sa malls and may signal siya however sobrang weak talaga... or is there any way to convert verizon s3 to normal s3 na international?

    any response would be a great help =)
  • normal po yan sir kasi signal niya will only depends on 3g signal dito satin, so normally pag indoor ang signal ng 3g is weak di siya makakapag switch from 3g to 2g kasi di niya supported un so stay siya sa 3g

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