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ambyzown
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 231
From: Lagos-Nigeria
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Aya wrote:
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Food for thought:
When MTN Nigeria for example says it is setting up a 3G network this year, for example, in all probability they are setting up a parallel WCDMA (a CDMA standard) network to the existing GSM infrastructure on ground. That's why migrating to 3G is so expensive for GSM companies: they have to setup an entirely different network from what is on ground.
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I'd like to differ on that. The following is culled from wikipedia.org
UMTS and other W-CDMA systems are widely criticized for their large spectrum usage, which has delayed deployment in countries that have not allocated new frequencies specifically for UMTS (such as the United States).
The specific frequency bands originally defined by the UMTS standard are 1885-2025 MHz for uplink and 2110-2200 MHz for downlink.
For existing GSM operators, it is a simple but costly migration path to UMTS: much of the infastructure is shared with GSM, but the cost of obtaining new spectrum licenses and overlaying UMTS at existing towers can be prohibitively expensive.
Here are a few advantages of GSM over CDMA
- Roaming: this is almost impossible with cdma
- SIM: what would you do if u weren't able to change phones at will?
- Availability of wide range of handsets: I don't believe nokia has a cdma version of ur beloved 9500
@Brix25: That would be CDMA20001xEV-DO right? Not CDMA20001xRTT
[ This Message was edited by: ambyzown on 2006-01-17 13:16 ] |
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coolapostle
Joined: Oct 15, 2004
Posts: 28
From: Abuja, Nigeria
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...and while we wait for AYA, let me just chip in that I sent the last post (and this one) while sitting with a lappy in FCDA, Abuja. Free wi-fi browsing! The speed says 1.0 MBps of the taskbar... |
brix25
Joined: Aug 20, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Cape Town, South Africa
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@coola: That's most probably your network speed (the speed between your laptop and the wi-fi router). Are you using XP?
Liar liar pants on fire/ You burning up like David Koresh- Ghostface Killah |
coolapostle
Joined: Oct 15, 2004
Posts: 28
From: Abuja, Nigeria
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Yes.... It is quite fast but my downloads timeout (even after I disabled the firewall). Even using a download utility. Once in a while, the network cuts off too. But apart from that, its been fun. My butt is killing me though from sitting for so long.
@amby I am waiting for U at Yahoo Messenger |
brix25
Joined: Aug 20, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Cape Town, South Africa
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Quote:
| @amby I am waiting for U at Yahoo Messenger |
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That sounded quite ominous...are you going to bash his skull once he gets online? 
Liar liar pants on fire/ You burning up like David Koresh- Ghostface Killah |
ambyzown
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 231
From: Lagos-Nigeria
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I had better not show up at yahoo then  |
OluYom
Joined: Oct 27, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Nigeria
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Ok, I'm going to attempt to address all issues raised by you guys, though I am pretty sure that nothing I say will make a difference.
Like I said, my earlier analogy may not be the most accurate. It was to illustrate. As to how CDMA can be a cheaper technology to run, CDMA provides a wider coverage per base station than GSM, plus it has the capacity to handle greater volume/traffic of both voice and data per cell than GSM has.
About GSM operators migrating to UMTS, you have to do your homework. The same towers may be used, but a parallel network has to be setup. And as for cost, your post did say "costly". Its costly because of all the new things that have to be setup that's not compatible with what's already on ground. I won't even argue that point again because its common industrial knowledge. BTW, I tried the wikipedia link and a page loaded saying "We do not have an article called 'W-CDMA'". You may want to check that link again.
WCDMA is a variant of CDMA. It may be much different from CDMA 2000 1x used here, but that's beside the point. The point is that any GSM operator migrating to 3G automatically stops being just GSM. It becomes a GSM-CDMA hybrid. The point is that regardless of how much you wish CDMA as a technology will disappear, it won't. Its here to stay.
As for CDMA in terms of how it has been applied in Nigeria, the problem is not the technology but the greed and short-sightedness of how the PTOs have operated for years. Small networks; high entry costs; high profit margins. Again, note that they did not start with CDMA. So it cannot be that CDMA is the reason why our PTOs are in the mess they are in now. As a matter of fact, that they are not entirely out of the picture can be attributed to their migrating to CDMA. If you will observe, the PTOs that adopted CDMA earliest are generally the ones doing well of the lot.
The PTOs do not need to change technology to do well under Universal Licensing. CDMA has been proven times over to be a capable platform for mobility. And yes there are CDMA versions of most GSM phones. I have no information about the 9500, but I do know there was a CDMA version of the 9210i.
As for call clarity on CDMA here in Nigeria, all you have to do is eat the pudding to get a taste. Clear, crisp calls, at least on Starcomms.
You know what, guys, we'll all just have to wait and see what happens. We can argue all year long and it won't mean a thing.
PS: I used to be known as AYA |
ambyzown
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 231
From: Lagos-Nigeria
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@Aya: there's only one issue I'd like to highlight from ur post. cdma was here long before the advent of gsm. intercellular, multilinks and emis were the first three pto's on the scene. intercellular opted 4 cdma while the other two went 4 tdma. my point is that if not for gsm, our mobile telecoms industry may not have been as vibrant.
no doubt, cdma is superior to tdma (upon which gsm is built) but gsm still remains preferred technology accounting for well over 70% users worldwide. |
ambyzown
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 231
From: Lagos-Nigeria
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@Aya: try this http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=W-CDMA&oldid=34745027 |
OluYom
Joined: Oct 27, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Nigeria
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Quote:
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On 2006-01-17 18:44:00, ambyzown wrote:
@Aya:
my point is that if not for gsm, our mobile telecoms industry may not have been as vibrant.
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Quite correct. But, like I said, the problem was not the technology. The problem was the operators and regulatory policies.
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but gsm still remains preferred technology accounting for well over 70% users worldwide.
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Yes; but also like I said earlier, that's because GSM came into existence and had become quite widespread before CDMA arrived.
Those aside, your points are in order.
PS: I used to be known as AYA |
coolapostle
Joined: Oct 15, 2004
Posts: 28
From: Abuja, Nigeria
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Well since this episode is all but ended, I still want to know what AYA will advise the Board of CDMA company as UL comes on the scene next month. |
coolapostle
Joined: Oct 15, 2004
Posts: 28
From: Abuja, Nigeria
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...Wow! celebrating 24 hours of silence on PNF....was it something I said? (grin)
According to wikipedia, Glo Mobile is Nigeria's biggest GSM Operator!
Glo Mobile 9.86m
MTN Nigeria 6.38m
Mtel 4.2m
Vmobile 0.2m
(as at June 2005)
Someone has fed in the wrong stuff. Anyway, check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_network_operators
[ This Message was edited by: coolapostle on 2006-01-18 20:59 ] |
coolapostle
Joined: Oct 15, 2004
Posts: 28
From: Abuja, Nigeria
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Dinnnng Donnngg... another 24 hours passes without any post on PNF! Where is Ihejirika? I may have to call him into action if this continues.
Let me kickstart with the questions my girlfriend(s) like to ask, "How was your day?" |
ambyzown
Joined: May 11, 2005
Posts: 231
From: Lagos-Nigeria
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@Coola: I still dey o, man must hustle, its January the the month of recovery remember? Howz everyone doing? |
mamba
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 138
From: 9ja
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i'm fine and not fine. 
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Posted: 2006-01-17 13:56
