GSM Advantages Perceived by Proponents
Already deployed as a worldwide standard
- 35 million subscribers today
- 150 million subscribers in 1999 (est.), outnumbering CDMA 7 to 1
National/International roaming
- PCS1900 architecture supports full network interoperability
Total system specified in standard
- “CDMA is just an air interface”
Voice quality comparable to wireline
- Enhanced full rate vocoder (13 Kbps)
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card
- Increased flexibility and utility
- Allows worldwide roaming
- Stores personal phone numbers, missed calls, voice mail notification, text messages