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Old 12-22-2017, 12:18 PM   #40
caltexflanc
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City: North Carolina for now
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Do any of the pre-paid and/or less expensive retailers support both GSM and CDMA?

We keep one phone on AT&T and another on VZ, specifically because of coverage issue, holes, etc., originally here on the Chesapeake but also for "in general" boat travel. It's much better here now than it was in '95 or so (for example), but we still find dead spots with one or the other phone. And have seen the dead spots in coastal NC and SC during our current ride... And having both GSM and CDMA phones very useful...
Not sure what you mean, but the Trac Fone family of brands have offerings using each carrier network, as do other MVNOs like Red Pocket. Some of the new Motorola international unlocked phones, with two SIM slots, will take a GSM SIm as well as a Verizon SIM. Or the US version like sold on Amazon Prime, with a single SIM slot, you keep one SIM in your wallet and switch them out when need be, doesn't take but a minute. The whole CDMA/GSM thing is slowly disappearing as an issue, as the carriers switch to voice over LTE, and users opt for apps like SKype which use the data network. Slide an ATT SIM into a verizon iPhone sometime, it'll probably work, all newer Verizon phones are unlocked, network wise.

Someday, phones will come with a built in "Universal SIM" access to all networks built in, similar to what Apple does now on its iPads, where you select your carrier. At some point, someone like Google or Apple will do this on phones, and everyday you will be to conduct an "auction" amongst the carriers for who gets your business that day, which you can base on rate or coverage. Then threads like this one will become obsolete.
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