For most, a cell phone is a cell phone. Few understand how one works and even fewer could tell you of the various protocols that make communication even possible on these de-facto gadgets found in nearly everyones purse, back pack, pocket, or belt-attached case. With Cingular’s acquisition of AT&T Wireless a few years ago, it effectively killed off one protocol, TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), and spread its signal of choice, GSM, to more customers than before. Nextel, using iDEN, was brought into the Sprint realm which now is putting more and more CDMA out than it once did. That leaves providers like Alltel and Verizon using CDMA as well. With only two GSM carriers in the US, T-Mobile and AT&T (ala Cingular), one would think CDMA was king. Truth is, it isn’t.

CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) has been trying to spread its signal across the world in competition of the more popular GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). GSM has become the standard in Europe, Japan, and Australia while CDMAs main foot hold is here in the North America and in South Korea. The CDMA Development Group (CDG) is hoping to make larger foot prints with pushing its technology to countries such as China where there is a very large market to be had. Its latest figures, CDG shows China with 42 million subscribers and to the west of it, India with more than 61 million subscribers. Working on all neighboring countries, like Iraq with its new open market, CDG is excited by these figures.

“CDMA’s attributes, including voice quality, speed and lower total cost of ownership, continue to drive its proliferation across the globe,” said James Person, chief operating officer for the CDG. “Operators who want to meet subscriber demand with compelling and affordable services have recognized the technology’s long list of benefits. Especially in Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, where the markets vary from sparsely populated rural villages to densely populated urban centers, CDMA’s performance and flexibility meet most operators’ network demands.”

So what does this all mean? Really, it’s more geeky than anything because, again, most don’t know and care about this stuff. But if you’re a Nokia fan, you’ll never have a CDMA phone, meaning, no Nokia at Alltel, Sprint, or Verizon. The same goes for select models at CDMA providers that will not be available at AT&T or T-Mobile. But what it really boils down to is world phones. If you are a traveler, you’ll want a phone that will work where you are headed. With competing protocols, you’ll have to be choosey on what you select. As CDMA pushes further throughout the world, this gives GSM users here at home less choice in what they can do with their current phone. The same goes for CDMA users. In the end, competition is great but at times it can be a headache, too.