AT&T iPhone 4 and Verizon iPhone 4 are both same version of current iPhone 4 with slight differences in he feature and with the major difference in the access technology used. AT&T uses UMTS 3G technology whereas Verizon is using CDMA Technology. Both are two different major technologies in 3rd Generation of wireless networks. On the feature side, Verizon iPhone 4 comes with the mobile hotspot capability, where you can connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices.
AT&T (UMTS)
AT&T deployed UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) network for 3G. UMTS is the successor of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) standard. GSM and UMTS are widely used technology and UMTS is widely used 3G technology, so that UMTS phone users can easily roam around the world with the same handset.
Verizon (CDMA)
Verizon uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) which is also a wireless broadband technology which uses the bandwidth in efficient manner than other technologies. CDMA uses soft handovers of phone calls when you travel and at the same time it will get signals from m multiple towers at the same time and uses the most powerful signal.
In CDMA there is a great variation of speed depends on position, population density and other factors. The major disadvantage on CDMA phones, when you are on voice call you can’t browse internet in the sense CDMA is not capable to carry voice and data simultaneously.
| Difference Between AT&T (UMTS) and Verizon (CDMA)
(1) CDMA has soft handover of calls while on move whereas UMTS does not have this feature. (2) CDMA phone can receive signals from various towers and selects the appropriate signal. (3) UMTS phones will have SIM or Micro SIM cards whereas in CDMA phones there are no SIM cards. So it’s difficult to change the handsets. (4) UMTS 3G connection would be faster than CDMA 3G connection in General (5) UMTS phone can carry voice and data simultaneously whereas in CDMA phone it is not possible to use voice and data simultaneously* |
* CDMA Development group has announced that CDMA networks and handsets would carry data and voice with the next release which is expected in the first quarter of 2011.
Next Generations iphones will be designed to support for the latest 4G Technologies LTE or WiMAX. Since LTE is in the same family of GSM standards there is no doubt AT&T will have it. But at the same time Verizon will also migrate to LTE as its next generation technology soon. Eventually all the apple customers from AT&T and Verizon will move to iPhone 5 or the LTE version of iphone.
Introducing Verizon iPhone 4
Courtesy: CNet TV