It is apparent that you use a cellphone and therefore have signed up for a wireless network service provider that covers your area. Cricket wireless is one of them, and AT&T owns it. Cricket Wireless provides network connectivity through two primary carriers, one is GSM and the other is CDMA.
GSM is the abbreviation for “Global System for Mobiles.” Phones on a GSM network possess a whole good deal more than mobiles on a CDMA network. You have the option to change sim cards on a GSM carrier with ease. GSM mobiles need to possess removable sim-cards. It is a more accessible option for consumers compared to the CDMA network.
CDMA means “Code Division Multiple Access.” CDMA is controlled mainly by the company Qualcomm, which is more regulated than GSM carriers. CDMA phones aren’t needed to have removable sim cards.
Phone Technology Used by Cricket Wireless – GSM or CDMA
You might be wondering whether Cricket Wireless GSM or CDMA from this standpoint because technology is evolving day by day. Cricket is an LTE network at this point, but that doesn’t mean that they are not using the GSM network anymore.
However, it has been confirmed that the CDMA network is no longer in use by Cricket. In many places, “GSM” is used as a generic term for this group of network types, even though the GSM network (2G) is an outdated technology and most of the network service providers don’t use that technology anymore. The original Cricket (before AT&T purchased it) was CDMA, but that was all dismantled years ago.
Which is Best? GSM or CDMA or 4G LTE
CDMA and GSM are electronic telecommunication criteria designed for wireless voice and data communication. They are different, but they all serve the same purpose. GSM works otherwise since it uses a SIM card to tell the phone to connect to the System. The phone will be hardcoded at a CDMA phone to understand which CDMA system to search for and join. At a GSM phone, the phone utilizes the SIM card to find out the network for connectivity.
CDMA had its benefits straight back in the first days of inception as it provided exceptional voice quality on GSM at the cost of using mobile net and voice simultaneously. However, back then, it did not matter so much since mobiles were barely used for data.
GSM has the benefits of being able to use both data and voice at precisely the identical moment. With rising smartphone usage, this can be an obvious benefit.
LTE is the next protocol according to GSM. LTE is not the same technology built into the phone and requires a SIM card to know which System to connect to, whereas the voice component utilizes the standard ESN registration to work. That is precisely the reason why LTE phones use both data and voice simultaneously. It utilizes two unique technologies at the same time.
Pros & Cons of GSM
- More convenient network with robust capabilities.
- Worldwide connectivity along with comprehensive coverage.
- SAIC and DAIC processes utilized in GSM supply quite a large transmission quality.
- The telephone works in line with the SIM card, so it is easy to alter different mobile types by consumers.
- GSM signs do not have some deterioration.
- Simple to incorporate GSM together with other wireless technologies like CDMA and LTE.
- It can work with repeaters.
- Due to the pulse character of transmission, talk time is usually significant.
- It may interfere with specific electronic equipment, like hearing aids. Thus, many places, like airports, hospitals and gas pumps, need mobile phones to be turned off.
- To increase coverage, repeaters are required.
- It provided restricted data speed capability, so large data speed complex variants of GSM devices were utilized.
- A lot of GSM technology is optimized by Qualcomm; hence license has to be accessed from them.
- GSM has mended highest call websites range around 35 kilometers, which is quite limited.
- There’s not an end-to-end safety of user information.
- Electromagnetic radiation is far significantly much more with the usage of GSM.
- The multipath signal reduction influences macrocells.
Pros & Cons of CDMA
- Secure communication channel.
- Ability to carry out several conversations simultaneously.
- Can reach even the remotest of areas.
- CDMA is a more secure system.
- CDMA allows usage of the entire bandwidth simultaneously; moreover, it is easy to add users.
- Nationwide roaming is possible without any issues.
- Claimed better spectral efficiency.
- Lower network cost.
- Smoother handover / fewer dropped calls.
- Better voice quality.
- Power consumption is reasonably lesser.
- Flexible allocation of resources.
- No sense of handoff when changing cells.
- Impossible for hackers to decode the code sent.
- Time synchronization is needed.
- It cannot provide global roaming, a sizable GSM benefit.
- The CDMA system performance features with the increase in the number of consumers.
- A system of CDMA isn’t older since it’s comparatively fresh with all GSM.
- Once the amount of consumers rises, the general quality of support declines.
- Self-jamming difficulty.
- The near-far difficulty arises when we are utilizing CDMA methods.
- Greater price because of the larger gear usage.
- Reduce capability since slow transfer raises the use of wireless resources.
Pros & Cons of LTE/4G
- Participants can trade Mobile Data in addition to voice among them.
- High levels of information can be moved between the sender and the recipient.
- All information exchange happens with significantly less energy consumption. Further, it also contributes to the better life span of their cell phone batteries.
- It provides a higher speed for downloading and uploading compared to others.
- It sparks the system usage quicker. This reduces the load to the System.
- It decreases the traffic and moves towards lesser crashes in the service.
- Live shows, events, and matches are readily viewed using LTE.
- This support is not now available in most cities.
- More towers and new technologies will need to be developed for more excellent signals while in transit.
- LTE, being complex, needs only skilled individuals to deal with the System. They need to get paid a higher salary.
- This technology cannot be utilized in old versions of smartphones.
- Buying new tablets for LTE is a costly affair.
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How to Identify Whether Your Cricket Wireless Phone is CDMA or GSM?
Here are the easiest ways to find out.
Assess your phone’s settings
You may be daydreaming that your phone speaks up for itself regarding the technology used. Regrettably, it is not relatively that easy. But you may use your Cricket Wireless phone’s settings to figure out if it’s GSM or CDMA. The Way to check if your phone is GSM or CDMA using configurations:
On an iPhone:
- Go to the Settings app.
- Click on General, then tap on about.
- Look for a MEID, ESN, or IMEI number Close to the bottom of the menu.
On an Android device:
- Go to Settings.
- Click on System and then About phone.
- Click Status and Search for a MEID, ESN, or IMEI number.
If your phone has a MEID or an ESN number, it is CDMA. If you see an IMEI number, then it is GSM. And if you find both, then your device supports both of the technologies.
Look up the model number
It is possible to use those same configurations to locate your model number on both iPhone and Android devices. Once you’ve got your version number, you may use a simple Google search to discover if it is a GSM or CDMA phone.
Assess for SIM card slot
GSM telephones did have SIM card slots, although CDMA phones did not.
But since the widespread adoption of 4G LTE technologies, many phones use SIM cards, even CDMA devices. If your telephone doesn’t possess a SIM card slot, it is almost definitely a CDMA device.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Does Cricket wireless allow CDMA compatible devices?
Unlike other operators, Cricket wireless doesn’t allow CDMA compatible devices. The reason is that AT&T owns it, and AT&T has stopped working with CDMA because of the new widespread 4G technology. Only GSM and LTE work with Cricket.
Does Cricket wireless allow 4G LTE technology?
2G, 3G, and 4G connectivity are supported by Cricket wireless. But the day is not far when 2G connectivity will shut down as it offers far lower data speed than 3G and 4G. As you have already concluded why the 4G network is the best option for you, there are other benefits too when it comes to 4G technology, and Cricket focuses on that.
Which company networks are CDMA?
While connecting to the 4G network, some smartphones with SIM cards might still use GSM to communicate to 2G CDMA networks for talk. So it’s not that simple to tell if your carrier is using the CDMA network. But as we have researched, if your phone is on Verizon or Sprint, it could be a CDMA phone as both of the companies use CDMA networks.
Which company networks are GSM?
Given the list of benefits provided by the 4G or LTE connectivity, some carriers still carry on running GSM networks due to their high reliability and popularity. It is more accessible as well. In the USA, T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM.
Can I use both GSM and CDMA mobile with the same SIM card?
Physically, yes. Though many CDMA phones won’t include a committed sim slot, it doesn’t know the performance of GSM, along with a GSM phone doesn’t know the material of some CDMA SIM. Thus, the information files are distinct, whereas the SIM may match, a CDMA phone with a GSM SIM (and vice versa) won’t “function.”
But in case your phone is dual-technology competent (can function in either CDMA or GSM manners), it may well know these distinct SIM files/contents suitably and might operate.