Comparing Wireless Data Services?

[Nick]

I'm starting a venture that, due to the nature of the business, may require
medium to hi-speed wireless internet capability from time-to-time.

Can someone point me to a resource similar to 'DSLReports' that where
I can find and compare which wireless data services are available in my
primary area?

tia

[DonLandis]

Nick- Clearwire is fairly popular here in Jacksonville but you should state where you will be traveling that you need wireless broadband. Since I travel nationwide, Verizon was a good bet for me. At worst it is ISDN speed and that was in the middle of the desert in center state Nevada, some parts of North Carolina too. Elsewhere I get the EVDO speeds varies between 600kbps and 1.5 Mbs.

[Kevin Dupuy]

I don't have data plan but I've heard good things about Verizon. Sprint is also a good choice for data.

If you'll be travelling abroad you may then want to look at (gasp) AT&T (Cingular)!

[DonLandis]

Kevin- I think this is a myth about needing at&t for travel abroad.

After doing a bit of research just to satisfy my curiosity, this is what I discovered-

Myth- Outside the US everyone's GSM.
Fact- There is a mixture of services around the world to include both GSM and CDMA
Fact Western Europe is only GSM as these countries have laws to restrict the service to only one technology. They chose GSM because it is open source, CDMA is a newer, proprietary technology that requires a license from Qualcom.
Fact- If you have Verizon CDMA service and are planning a trip to these GSM only countries, they will send you a phone that is compatible, however the service cost can be outrageous, but there are good ways around this such as buying prepaid service while traveling in those places.

Myth- GSM is superior to CDMA.
Fact -Each has it's pros and cons. If you plan to do extensive travel in a GSM only country, go with GSM. If you like or need to swap out phones often for whatever reason, GSM can be a cheaper way to do that due to the SIM technology. However not all GSM phones will allow the SIM swap. From a technical viewpoint only, CDMA is superior for reliability and data speed, especially in busy call density locations.

Myth- CDMA can't move your contacts from one phone to another because it doesn't have SIMs.
Fact- CDMA Carriers recognize this limitation and make a transfer service available at a nominal charge, often waived depending on your account and reason for switching.

Once people understand the above they can select the service that best serves their communication needs and price.

[Kevin Dupuy]

Kevin- I think this is a myth about needing at&t for travel abroad.

After doing a bit of research just to satisfy my curiosity, this is what I discovered-

Myth- Outside the US everyone's GSM.
Fact- There is a mixture of services around the world to include both GSM and CDMA
Fact Western Europe is only GSM as these countries have laws to restrict the service to only one technology. They chose GSM because it is open source, CDMA is a newer, proprietary technology that requires a license from Qualcom.
Fact- If you have Verizon CDMA service and are planning a trip to these GSM only countries, they will send you a phone that is compatible, however the service cost can be outrageous, but there are good ways around this such as buying prepaid service while traveling in those places.

Myth- GSM is superior to CDMA.
Fact -Each has it's pros and cons. If you plan to do extensive travel in a GSM only country, go with GSM. If you like or need to swap out phones often for whatever reason, GSM can be a cheaper way to do that due to the SIM technology. However not all GSM phones will allow the SIM swap. From a technical viewpoint only, CDMA is superior for reliability and data speed, especially in busy call density locations.

Myth- CDMA can't move your contacts from one phone to another because it doesn't have SIMs.
Fact- CDMA Carriers recognize this limitation and make a transfer service available at a nominal charge, often waived depending on your account and reason for switching.

Once people understand the above they can select the service that best serves their communication needs and price.

I realize that. ALso, Verizon and I think Sprint, have dual-CDMA/GSM phone for voice, but I'm not sure if they also do dual voice. But, few countries are CDMA, but they are there.