[IP] Re: Crossing the Lines

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
Date: February 9, 2008 11:03:08 PM EST
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Crossing the Lines

> // They wanted to follow U.S. troops into Iraq with Qualcomm's
> // patented cellular technology, called CDMA, a system no nation
> // in the Middle East had yet been willing to adopt.
>
> Wait, I thought, that's not right.

Well, OK, it's only 95% right.

Let's look at Iraq's neighbors, taking our data from the usually
reliable gsmworld.com and cdg.org.  Iran has five GSM networks, no
CDMA.  Syria has three GSM networks, no CDMA.  Saudia Arabia has four
active GSM networks, and two planned.  They have CDMA WLL (wireless
local loop), but no CDMA mobiles.  Jordan has three GSM networks, no
CDMA.  Turkey has three GSM networks, no CDMA.  Israel, which has no
border with Iraq, has four active GSM networks, one planned, and 2 1/2
CDMA networks (the 1/2 is only in Tel Aviv.)  Pelphone, which runs the
CDMA networks, will be running the planned 3G GSM network, which gives
you a hint which way the wind is blowing.

I don't purport to speak for the Iraqi man in the street, but I'm
pretty sure that if I asked him whether he'd rather have a phone that
works in Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, as well as
all of Europe and North Africa, or a phone that only works in Israel,
I can guess what the answer would be.

There's nothing wrong with CDMA.  It's arguably better than 2G GSM
which is TDMA.  New versions of GSM use CDMA technology, although
they're not compatible with CDMA networks.  But GSM has done a superb
job of rolling out compatible interoperable systems all over the
world, which CDMA has not.  Even Verizon, which runs the largest CDMA
network, has stated that their future direction will be GSM
compatible.

So despite the smoke and mirrors, if the goal was to build a mobile
system that would be the most useful to Iraqi phone users, rather than
a system to benefit the constituents of a representative from San
Diego, the answer was and still should be GSM.

Regards,
John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for  
Dummies",
Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, ex- 
Mayor
"More Wiener schnitzel, please", said Tom, revealingly.


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