Wireless Network Technology May Help You Choose

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The type of wireless network technology may help you choose which prepaid wireless provider to choose. Consider these tips and questions.

Wireless network technology is the actual type of technology used to build the network. Just like LCD and Plasma televisions are two types of technologies, wireless has a number, including:

All wireless network technologies have evolved to the point where voice quality is relatively indistinguishable. Quality has more to do with how the technology is built out (i.e. how much money is invested). So when considering technology as a potential choice, I would suggest focusing on the following:

Data speed - Probably the most notable difference between technologies is data speed. While you won't notice this when you're using the WAP browser on your phone, if you're using the real Internet (ex. on a smart phone), or downloading music or video or watching You Tube, you'll definitely notice. The technologies list above do not show the range and complexity of technologies available. For example, CDMA has different types of networks such as 1xRTT, EVDO-Rev0, EVDO-RevA, etc. This is a conversation for another time, but generally speaking, the best way to see if the speed meets your needs is to try to do something that you commonly do and see how it performs (ex. watching a You Tube video). you should be able to do this in a store. At the time of writing this page, you should notice, hands down, that the latest CDMA technologies will always be faster than the latest GSM technologies, and iDEN (ex. Nextel) will be so slow it's almost not worth using for any data intensive application.

Compatibility - Although different technologies are used throughout the world, GSM is tends to be the most common, especially in Europe. So if you travel a lot, this may be very important to you. It's important to note, however, that not only does the technology have to be the same, but the frequency must also be the same. So you'll see many phones that support multiple frequencies. The best advice I can give is to check with the wireless provider to make sure that the countries you're most interested in are compatible. Generally speaking, GSM will be the most widely compatible.

Phone variety - Some technologies simply have more worldwide distribution, which means that the volume of sales allows handset manufacturers to build more types of phones. Simply, the more people buying them, the greater variety of supply that can be supported.

Flexibility - Some people, if they had the choice, would have different phones for different occasions. Whether it's a larger, more functional phone for work, and a smaller, sleeker phone for evenings and weekends, or even different colors to match different moods or outfits. Some wireless network technology allow for much easier swapping of handsets without having to call your wireless company to make the change. Basically, SIM-based technologies (that little smart card or memory chip-like card under the battery of your phone) can be easily swapped. At the great thing about these technologies (ex. GSM, iDEN) is that your contacts on stored on the SIM card, which means that even when you switch phones, all of your numbers move with it, without having to retype anything! Some carriers offer the ability to swap our your phone online fairly easily, however, your contacts won't move with you unless you have a backup/restore service on your account (this usually costs extra and is not widely available on prepaid plans).