Please Help Me To Decide (gsm / Cdma)

[Dhiraj M 0]

Dear Friends,

I am an DAPO Subcriber & brought this during Monsoon 501 offer along with Nokia 2285, its more than 3 years & now I am planning to buy a new handset Budget around 10K max. The only option I am left with is 6275 which is 12k. I was wondering weather is it worth to put in such a huge amount into CDMA handset. I feel switcing to GSM would be another good option but does CDMA work out to be cheaper than GSM any more. There are certain queries & parameters that I would like to put below for which I would appreciate if someone could put forward their views.

1. Swiching to GSM would be expensive (What % of difference (Billing) would it make, consedering local & STD calls)

2. Looking at the future if CDMA technology (RIM going GSM way, investing into high end handset)

3. Nokia too is moving out of CDMA handset making

4. GSM has liberty of choosing haldsets

5. Resales value present in GSM handset

6. Any plans of GSM closer to DAPO offerings ?

7. Plus points of GSM over CDMA & vice - versa ?

I would appreciate of someone could guide me to take the decision on weather to continue with CDMA / GSM .

[KumaarShah 143]

You can search the forum for the answers to the above, as all the points enumerated by you have been discussed threadbare in this forum already.

However, in a gist, it will be prudent to go GSM now rather than remaining with RCL because RCL will only increase all rates now onwards. And you are living in a dream-world if you believe that DAPO has attractive tariffs. Only thing there is free unltd SMS and yes free WAP if you go in for 6265/6275/2865 etc. Call charges are horribly high for both local as well as STD. and roaming rates have been hiked to all time high for all plans. It is definitely prudent to go GSM now. This is the right time. Maybe you can retain the DAPO for free SMS (if you are a heavy SMS er) or sell it and get some premium to bring down your cost of going GSM. GSM also has some better tariffs, which you will come to know if you browse the forum properly. Even otherwise, you can enquire with your GSM friends/relatives for attractive plans. And yes, do not wait for RCL to go GSM, they will fare even worse there. NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO KICK RCL's ***. You will never regret your decision.

Thanks.

[Dhiraj M 0]

You can search the forum for the answers to the above, as all the points enumerated by you have been discussed threadbare in this forum already.

However, in a gist, it will be prudent to go GSM now rather than remaining with RCL because RCL will only increase all rates now onwards. And you are living in a dream-world if you believe that DAPO has attractive tariffs. Only thing there is free unltd SMS and yes free WAP if you go in for 6265/6275/2865 etc. Call charges are horribly high for both local as well as STD. and roaming rates have been hiked to all time high for all plans. It is definitely prudent to go GSM now. This is the right time. Maybe you can retain the DAPO for free SMS (if you are a heavy SMS er) or sell it and get some premium to bring down your cost of going GSM. GSM also has some better tariffs, which you will come to know if you browse the forum properly. Even otherwise, you can enquire with your GSM friends/relatives for attractive plans. And yes, do not wait for RCL to go GSM, they will fare even worse there. NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO KICK RCL's ***. You will never regret your decision.

Thanks.

Thanks alot! your suggestion is really helpful.

[GSV13 0]

Only one advice! Go for GSM preferably Airtel or Hutch, you won't regret.

[raccoon 53]

As khs123 has already said - the issue has been discussed threadbare in other threads (rhymes well, eh? ). At the minimum do read this thread...

[anuragz 4]

Hey Dhiraj, Do read all the posts in the thread which Racoon mentioned above. You'll surely come to a better conclusion.

I m also eager to buy a new high-end handset but i m also confused weather to invest on 6275 or some gsm phone (sony erickson w710. They both have same price tag). I m not satisfied with rel service so, if i buy 6275 it'll be a waste the day i terminate my rel connection, although it can be used on tata (only on tata apart from rel) but who knows which day tata too withdraws all those lucrative plans from the market ? (like it just withdraw its very unique & popular package of 'free unlimited incoming on roaming')Read This.

As far as your queries are concerned i believe u can even reduce your monthly bill by using gsm but only if u select an appropriate plan available in your circle.

One thing i really dislike about GSM & like about CDMA is the feature that it works as local phone in roaming locations (it is a great feature for those who travel a lot).

Its really hard to sell cdma handsets but to sell gsm handsets u don't need to put it on Buy/Sell thread on rimweb. It's sold anywhere.

Plus points of GSM over CDMA & vice - versa ?

This is a question most often asked by people. I think it hardly matters unless u are a hardcore programmer/developer who needs to experiment a lot on gateways & networks.

Being just a user i think any plan either gsm or cdma which serves your requirements to the nearest is a product worth buying. Any plan that gives maximum value for money ( & above all 'peace of mind' [which is not seen with rel users ]) u should go for it.

& Don't forget to sms your new number to all your friends (using DAPO for the last time).

Regards

Edited March 29, 2007 by anuragz

[petar 15]

Dhiraj.... No matter whether its GSM or CDMA you will end up speding same amount of money (+/- 5%) because your usage is gonna remain same.

Obviously there is no plan like DAPO either in GSM or CDMA by any operator considering the fact it offers FREE SMS to any mobile in india.

There is no doubt abt CDMA technology's future, its staying here for quite sometime. Nokia is not Sole CDMA device manafacturer nor was it leader in CDMA handsets. Nokias exit doent mean anything (to me atleast).

Yes, IN GSM you have wider variety of handsets & it has a decent resale value. No debate on that. But do u buy a handset cause after 12-15 months u shall get 500-800 Rs more while selling it or Do u want to buy handset because u like it, you are comfortable with it & you wanna use its full potential. Its upto you...

The point is If you are planning high end handset, whats the use of such handset if you are unable to exploit its full potential. A PDA mobile phone with pathetic GPRS speed is useless . CDMA can give u good speeds upto 128kpbs ( usually 60-90 kpbs) compared go 14 kpbs in GSM. Also there is no monthly rental. just 60 paise per min. of usage(30paise @night)

If you are going to use Data services while being mobile, CDMA is better option.

Connectivity is an issue for some people. Since reliance dosnt share its CDMA tower infrastruture, it has limited Reach. Specially along highways n interior places. GSM would have better coverage along highways as of today.

So now that you have some food for thought... Note down some points that are important to you & assign priority to them.

eg - DAPO free SMS >> PRIORITY -high // low // irrerevant

Data Speed >> PRIORITY -high // low // irrerevant

Connectivity >> PRIORITY -high // low // irrerevant

Handset choice >> PRIORITY -high // low // irrerevant

I am sure you can make your own choice based on above mentioned excersice.

[raccoon 53]

Plus points of GSM over CDMA & vice - versa ?

As Iv mentioned in another thread, technologically, CDMA is likely to shine in adverse conditions ...like giving better voice clarity and lesser call drops when you are on a call inside a fast moving train/car, etc., in humid weather, inside dense buildings, etc. Also CDMA is supposed to have better voice privacy. Also a CDMA phone is likely to give the same call quality even if you have one bar signal intensity ...on a GSM it may not be so clear. CDMA is also significantly more spectrum efficient, which should generally mean that congestion would be less in a CDMA network (At least where spectrum is a bottleneck ...but there are other factors also...). CDMA is also better faster with respect to data transfer. Lastly, it is reported that CDMA handsets emit significantly lesser radiation than GSM handsets ...however I dont know how reliable these reports are. On comparing the Specific AbsorptionRatings of my new GSM and my old Reliance phone, I find the difference quite negligible...

But along with these advantages come disadvantages like lesser battery life (as the chips are doing more work), more heat radiation from the handset, etc., etc.

Well, thats the tech aspect, but as anuragz rightly pointed out, as a user, service standard, tariffs, handsets, etc, are what generally matter a lot more rather than what technology ur mobile is using ...because the difference is really not so notable. In fact how many users do you know who even know what tech their mobile phone is using?? Few years ago, it was predicted that CDMA would edge out GSM. However, today, thanks to the policies and management of our wonderful CDMA operators (and Im sure partly also because of Qualcom), it is predicted that it may well be CDMA that may be relegated to the dust bin of telecom history.

As things stand today, there seems to be absolutely no incentive to use CDMA unless its many disadvantages are subsidised by lower tariffs and better service and facilities.

And I really dont understand why people are crazy about DAPO just because of its free SMS ...this when other operators are charging anywhere from 5 to 25 paise for an SMS! Its different if you need to shoot out millions of SMSes everday ...but how many SMSes does a guy need to survive anyway???

Edited March 29, 2007 by raccoon

[KumaarShah 143]

One thing i really dislike about GSM & like about CDMA is the feature that it works as local phone in roaming locations (it is a great feature for those who travel a lot).

Hi,

what is this about CDMA becoming a local phone? Are you not aware that RCL is charging 1.40/2.40 and 1.75 nowadays (from 15.2.7 to be more precise) The olden days are gone when what you have stated was prevalent. Now all are equal (GSM and CDMA) In fact some plans of GSM are still cheaper like the One India plans where you still get Re 1 pm on roaming i/c and o/g unlike our great (or is it Stupid or lecherous) RCL which wants to make the highest ARPUs by fleecing us left, right, front and center? However in case of TATA, i am not aware of their roaming rates on all plans. Do they give pre 15.2.7 rates still? Last week I remember seeing an ad by TATA in the local newspaper about their Business 349 plan which was touted as 'India's best roaming plan' with 500 minutes of free roaming i/c etc, etc. Frankly speaking I am still sceptical about TATA's policies - you never know when they will turn chameleon and leave us high and dry. No doubt, they want numbers now and thats why they are offering such goodies. But how long the honeymoon will last is the moot question.

@petar,

You seem to be in love with RCL. Sorry man, no hard feelings - just joking. Anyway, everyone has their own views and pluses and minuses about GSM or CDMA. It is upto the buyer to finally assess which technology is better and then jump in. Network coverage is not that good in CDMA whereas in GSM, since you have open roaming, you can select whichever provider has a network in that roaming location. In CDMA, this is not possible and you may end up losing what you have been saving for almost four years by a bad day in such location. Or there may be some life saving or life threatening situation and you are left holding an advanced CDMA toy which cannot communicate. In such times, you will definitely appreciate GSM.

@raccoon,

I posted somewhere about Daryl Green claiming that CDMA phones emit much lesser radiation than GSM phones (to be precise again, it was stated that CDMA phones emit only 1/8th radiation than GSM) and that this fact would be widely advertised in their future advt. campaigns. So if what you have stated as per your experience is true, then it appears that Mr Green is just fibbing us. or does it mean only on some basic models like 2030 or something similar. Maybe the newer models may not be that emission friendly or is it unfriendly? RCL has never claimed about this emission business and so I take it with a pinch of salt. Maybe they want to fool someone and add numbers like this. It would be wise if TATA gives some proof about this rather than just tom-tom.

Thanks

[raccoon 53]

Exactly! Even I'm a bit sceptical about the radiation claim. As I mentioned, I only have two handsets with their manuals with me - my old RIM (LG RD2030) and my brand new GSM. I have only compared the SAR ratings of these 2 sets and the difference is negligible! Also, as far as I can remember, the ratings given are the maximum recorded for that device ...and obviously cell phones emit varying amounts of radiation in different circumstances. IMHO, the radiation given out while you are actually talking would be the most important since you will be holding the handset right next to your head (assuming you arent on headsent/speaker). And we dont have this data. There are many other issues too... so Its going to be tricky to even try to speculate here. We really need some hard evidence to support this radiation claims, as its an important issue ...but I havent been able to find any! If anybody knows better, please do let us know!!

Moreover, it would be intresting if you guys can check out the SAR ratings for CDMA and GSM handsets and let us know here...

Edited March 30, 2007 by raccoon

[petar 15]

@KHS123

hey dude. i never mind any comments. Besides we are not being personal here . Also i m not in luv with RCL, but its so that 99% of time (Home+work) i get RCL coverage - so i m happy with it. Plus my need is data based & it serves my purpose. ALso i m not in a business where 1 missed Call decides the fate. So mate- every1 picks thier plums. I like mine... u can choose yrs.

Also if u read my post, i have given a framework where every individual can make thier choices based on thier needs & comfort.

[hritik123 4]

hey friend , dont get senti about DAPO plan , go for practicality , go for the network which hqas best coverage in ur area , and the best tariffs , DAPO by the way does not have the best tariffs anymore, even i surrendered my DAPO

[anuragz 4]

Hey,

Tata Still Gives 'Rome Like Home' Feature

Tata Roaming

After TRAI regulations on roaming they have rather reduced their incoming on roaming charge from Rs 2.65 to Rs 1.75 in all their plans. Outgoing while in roaming location charges are just the same as per your plan in home location.

Click Here& compare any 3 plans by tata & you'll get roaming charges details.

I did'nt knew that Reliance is not giving anymore 'Rome like Home' Feature.

well it could prove to be another reason why subscribers would want to get rid of Rel Mobile.

Edited March 30, 2007 by anuragz

[KumaarShah 143]

@KHS123

hey dude. i never mind any comments. Besides we are not being personal here . Also i m not in luv with RCL, but its so that 99% of time (Home+work) i get RCL coverage - so i m happy with it. Plus my need is data based & it serves my purpose. ALso i m not in a business where 1 missed Call decides the fate. So mate- every1 picks thier plums. I like mine... u can choose yrs.

Also if u read my post, i have given a framework where every individual can make thier choices based on thier needs & comfort.

Hi Petar,

I was just joking, no offence meant. I had mentioned it in the post itself. Somehow it has slipped your attention.

Anyway, cool it, man.

Thanks

Edited April 2, 2007 by khs123