Hi. On Tue, 18 Dec 2001 11:09:06 -0600 Brent Harding <bharding@doorpi.net> wrote: > Heardd that sprint uses cdma. Wh then, if everything's using mostly cdma or > gsm, do I need different phones for each cell company? Or is it like dsl, > in that each type of modem and isp use different protocols based on the > same thing? I know that with dsl that's true, but cell shouldn't be. GSM enforces "strong" authentication. Meaning: your cell phone uses a microchip to register itself on the GSM network when you turn it on. This allows the provider to check for stolen cell phones, and reject connections by microchips that have been declared stolen by their owner. On the other hand, the microchip only identifies one subscriber: you can use the same chip on different phones, but only if they accept the same type of chips. For instance phone "A" and phone "B" may be used with the same chip. But that means there is only one line for both. Different providers may also use slightly different frequencies to differentiate one network from another. But I am not really sure about this. I think the main difference really is the microchip. The GSM standard is pretty detailed and I am not sure its digital transmission system allows different frequencies. Regards, /-------------------------------------\ | Gil Andre -- Technical Writer | |Knox Software: http://www.arkeia.com | | email: gandre@arkeia.com | \-------------------------------------/