Telephones

While our group was in Kermit, none of our cell phones worked. My AT&T phone had no service at all. The reason? I didn't have Appalachian Wireless, basically the only cell phone service provider in Appalachian West Virginia and Kentucky. Appalachian Wireless works because it employs CDMA technology, which is able to produce better calls with lower reception than the other common type of cell phone technology, TDMA (GSM). Both types of cell phone technology are basically a radio signal divided up by time slots (TDMA) or code (CDMA). TDMA technology has been incorporated into the newer GSM technology for 3G networks.

Other prominent providers use CDMA technology, including Sprint PCS, Verizon and Virgin Mobile. Those of us in the group who had Verizon phones were able to get service most of the time. CDMA technology is also associated with less dropped calls and consumes less power than other cell phone techologies. Despite the benefits of CDMA technology, the weaknesses include a smaller coverage, meaning that they usually cannot roam internationally and are not usually portable across providers. This site lays out the strengths and weaknesses of CDMA technology compared to GSM technology, used by companies like T-Mobile and AT&T.

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