Compare TDMA vs CDMA

Since the mainstream introduction of CDMA cell phone technology in the early 1990's, the wireless world of cellular users to cellular experts debate each other over which technology is better, TDMA (What Is TDMA) or CDMA (What Is CDMA). The cell phone technology debate has several dozens of cellular manufactures and cellular service bank accounts at stake. Not to mention the service of several billion cellular phone users.

The backers and proponents of CDMA technology has claimed that CDMA is so bandwidth efficient, it's 13x times as efficient as TDMA and up to 40x more efficient than analog. (Based on quickness, efficency, quality of transmissions, data, voice) Another claim CDMA manufactures promote is CDMA technology is more secure and offers higher data and voice transmission quality. This is due to CDMA's spread-spectrum technology design which helps eliminate distortion.

he defenders of TDMA, however, gladly point out that to date there has been no successful major trial on record of CDMA technology that support any of the CDMA capacity, efficency and quality claims. Also, TDMA manufactures themselves claim that the CDMA improvement claims in bandwidth efficiency and quality are now being approached by new and future enhancements to existing TDMA technology. Over the next several years, TDMA proponents also claim that TDMA versus analog will also be 40x more efficient.

The one known issue in TDMA is less expensive to produce than CDMA technology. In fact, a CDMA based tower can cost as much as 3 1/2 times as much as a TDMA based tower. Higher costs surely will lead to slower adoption by cellular service providers. CDMA backers do claim, however, just as TDMA technology continues to improve, so will CDMA.

Today, there has been no resolution to any claims made by both CDMA or TDMA backers. It does seem clear over the short term at least, TDMA will continue to remain the dominant technology in the wireless market.