The false excuse that “VZW is not the only company to do this too, it is just the one that is talked about the most.” It might sound good to you, it might help you excuse the fact that verizon is screwing you the customer, but the statement is just another verizon fanboy excuse. just like your mythical GSM voice quality argument, no merit there either.

Please knowledge before ignorance. You’d think those claiming to be in the industry would know the basic facts, at least you’d hope that was true.

Ralph “American GSM phones CAN and ARE used over seas with NO problems if you have a clue in what your doing and what your talking about. GSM is GSM, the frequency’s are mostly standardized on 4 different frequency’s which most “American” GSM phones have. Have you ever hear the term quad-band? Pretty sure the “large GSM carrier” you work for didn’t upgrade technologies from tdma to gsm so “they could fit more people per line” ALSO you gain quality by upgrading from TDMA to GSM.

Keep up hourly cool-aid breaks to keep the FUD coming. There is no end to the ignorance of some cdma fanboys. Please knowledge before ignorance….

“Global System for Mobile communications (GSM: originally from Groupe Spécial Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. GSM service is used by over 2 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories. Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs significantly from its predecessors in that both signaling and speech channels are digital call quality”

“The key advantage of GSM systems to consumers has been higher digital voice quality and low cost alternatives to making calls, such as the Short message service (SMS, also called “text messaging”). The advantage for network operators has been the ease of deploying equipment from any vendors that implement the standard. Like other cellular standards, GSM allows network operators to offer roaming services so that subscribers can use their phones on GSM networks all over the world.”

http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/faq.shtml

As far as features being crippled on my blackberry, well I guess if I was CEO of VZW I would probably do the same thing. If you think about how much money is given up for features like that, when you could make a profit from it. Think of it like it was your business. I probably would do the same. VZW is not the only company to do this too, it is just the one that is talked about the most.

On another note… American GSM phones can not be used, and work well, when traveling over seas. The frequencies and technology is totally different. If you (hellno) had some facts about GSM technology you would already know that you can’t take you ATT phone to Europe and use it without having any problems. I working for a large GSM carrier for some time while they were switching from TDMA to GSM and one of the reasons they went to GSM is that they could fit more people per line then TDMA ever could. In doing so, we lost voice quality so we could cram more people on one tower then we ever could before. If anyone is money hungry it is the GSM carriers. You pay the same for CDMA then you do you GSM, wouldn’t you want to sound like you were sitting at home on a landline then talking to someone from a tin can?

As far as RIM, their carrier teams have told me face to face why they offer their devices through Cingular/ATT first, they have sold the most BB’s to date. An additional benefit is GSM adoption in the rest of the world, which I do not dispute. If I were them I would do the same thing. You want opinion? My opinion is that AT&T makes a sweet deal with RIM to get a period of exclusivity the same way Sprint and then VZW did with Palm for the Treo.

Well, enough of this. It is far too much like the Apple vs Windows lunacy. You are a GSM fanboy..and from what I can see in other threads, an Apple fanboy. Good on you.

P.S. I have used GSM..my company has a T-Mo corporate account. Gave it back to get a VZW BB. Still use the HotSpot account. Second, most of these posts were typed on a Mactel……Have a nice day.

Well aware Alltel has GSM and they currently use it for roaming income. There are 60+ different domestic companies providing GSM networks in the US.

Yet nothing (even cool-aid fueled FUD) is going to turn around reasons why device manufactures have many many good reasons why not to develop and manufacture devices for the dwindling, non-standard, proprietary, cdma market. As RIM Blackberry fans, it seems that some consumers which chose cdma always need to be reminded that GSM gets the top of the line BB’s and cdma users should understand and accept there are many, many reasons why cdma gets the 1 or 2 year old hand me downs. Sooner or later upgrading to open, global standard, non-proprietary GSM technology is inevitable. IMO pining away waiting for the top of the line GSM RIM BB devices to trickle down to cdma years later, is not at all worth it knowing GSM coverage is just as good if not better than cdma coverage in the US.

To say nothing about the crippling and function removal vzw does to the devices when they finally do get there years later.

Now trying the FUD line of cdma having a “bigger US foootprint”? again also not quite right. The cool-aid must be clouding all that “user experience and market experience.”

There’s alot of GSM coverage in the US, just as much coverage as cdma. 60+ different companies in the US alone with GSM networks.
http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_us.shtml
and
http://www.3gamericas.org/English/Maps/operators_maps/index.cfm

It must be rather embarrassing when those not in the industry can teach those who claim to be in the industry….
GSM accounts for 82% of the global mobile market, 29% of the global population use GSM technology. The GSM Association currently has operator members in 218 countries and territories. 2.5 billion GSM users.

In any event, I do not need to believe the FUD. I have user experience and market experience. I hope AT&T does begin to offer a seamless network with a fast data footprint all over so I have more choices in devices. Until then, as my mobile i smy only business line, I cannot make the change and lose coverage..which I would certainly do in the areas I frequent. BTW, what did VZW do to piss you off?

With providers upgrading once cdma networks to GSM that cdma signal is getting smaller and smaller.

GSM consumers also have the ability to roam on t-mo, at&t, alltel, Rogers, and over 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries of the world.