Verizon gets SIM Cards, I'm on the Bandwagon

[bigjnyc]

If Verizon was the only cell phone company on the planet, I'd go without a cell phone. That company can kiss my ass.

+100000000000000000

I rather chew on broken glass than become a verizon customer

 

[Orion126]

I am not a mobile network standards expert, but any phone running on Verizon's LTE network will need a SIM card. I doubt these new phones will include both a CDMA system and a SIM card system. It seems redundant to me.

Redundancy is exactly why it will have a built in SIM/CDMA system. If you know even the slightest bit about large networks is that there is always a system of redundancy built in.

 

[ulbador]

Exactly. And if it's on vz it will be CDMA capable IMO.

LTE is GSM based tech. Which is why I've maintained Verizon wouldn't roll out a CDMA iPhone just to replace their whole network with GSM technology less than 6 months later (mid 2011 being the target for Verizon and LTE)

 

[kdarling]

LTE is GSM based tech. Which is why I've maintained Verizon wouldn't roll out a CDMA iPhone just to replace their whole network with GSM technology less than 6 months later (mid 2011 being the target for Verizon and LTE)

LTE is not GSM based, despite what many ignorant articles say.

It's a totally different network and radio technology than either CDMA or GSM, but interfaces have been designed to allow carriers to use it beside their legacy systems.

So no, Verizon is not replacing their CDMA system with GSM. Both they and ATT will certainly keep their older systems running for many years. A CDMA iPhone would be quite possible at this point.

 

[Geckotek]

LTE is not GSM based, despite what many ignorant articles say.

It's a totally different network and radio technology than either CDMA or GSM, but interfaces have been designed to allow carriers to use it beside their legacy systems.

So no, Verizon is not replacing their CDMA system with GSM. Both they and ATT will certainly keep their older systems running for many years. A CDMA iPhone would be quite possible at this point.

I think the reason people think this is because every article I've seen calls LTE "GSM based". Also, it came from the 3GPP consortium which makes it part of the "GSM technology path". All of these things make it seem like it's just an evolution of the same technology....which I don't think it is, just commissioned and backed by the same group.

My prediction.....(bookmark this so you can call me out for being wrong later )

iPhone 4.x - slightly modified design of the iPhone 4 using CDMA on Verizon sometime in Q1 or early Q2.
iPhone 5 - GSM supporting HSPA+ and some additional upgrades
iPhone 6 - hybrid device (possibly 2*) LTE+CDMA and/or LTE+WCDMA/HSPA+ OR LTE+HSPA++WCDMA+CDMA (super-duper hybrid iPhone? )
*if there are 2 devices, we'll see 2 iPhone release cycles each year. One for CDMA based iPhones and another for GSM based. This will help spread manufacturing demand.