GSM (Global System for Mobiles) is currently the most widely-used fleet tracking technology in the world, but that may be changing. A growing number of fleet companies have been looking at the competitive advantages of other tracking technologies, especially CDMA, and voting with their dollars.
CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, has been growing its market share in recent years, and there is reason to believe this technology could become dominant in the near future. The fact is CDMA has a number of important advantages over the more widely-used GSM tracking systems.
Already CDMA technology has been adopted by most of the top carriers in the United States, so compatibility should no longer be an issue. Fleet companies that want to make the switch will find that the majority of carriers now support the technology.
Security and confidentiality are two more potential advantages of CDMA trackers. CDMA technology uses a broad spectrum originally developed by the military. That means all the data captured by the CDMA system is encrypted prior to transmission, an important distinction for security-minded companies.
CDMA tracking also provides better coverage throughout the United States and Canada than GSM. This superior coverage gives fleet companies more flexibility and their drivers greater freedom. The greater coverage also translates to higher quality service and enhanced accuracy when tracking the positions of individual trucks in the fleet.
CDMA technology is superior to the older GSM standard in many different ways, from better security and pre-transmission encryption to pinpoint accuracy for individual vehicles. In addition to these benefits, CDMA technology often comes with a lower price tag than GSM. A good CDMA plan can provide substantial savings over time and give fleet owners a lower total ownership cost over the life of the system.
In addition to the cost savings of the plan itself, CDMA systems also use less power. That lower power requirement translates to a longer battery life and saves fleet companies even more money.
If you have been looking for a fleet tracking service that makes sense for your employees and your bottom line, there are compelling reasons to choose CDMA over GSM. From more robust security to superior accuracy, CDMA wins in a number of important areas.
If your business requires fleet tracking, you need a convenient and seamless way to track every car, truck, and van in the company. GPS technology provides that functionality, but the acronyms and competing standards can make choosing a fleet tracking technology difficult.
For fleet tracking purposes, there are two main competing standards – GSM (global system for mobiles) and CDMA (code division multiple access). At the moment GSM has the biggest market share, but that is starting to change as fleet owners are drawn to the greater security, enhanced flexibility and superior encryption that CDMA trackers can provide.
CDMA fleet tracking technology uses a spread spectrum technique to provide its tracking results. This spread spectrum technology spreads electromagnetic energy to give the signal a wider bandwidth. This spread spectrum technology allows multiple individuals on multiple cell phones to use the same channel and share the same bandwidth. This multiplexing allows CDMA to operate at maximum efficiency without compromising quality or accuracy.
CDMA trackers separate data and voice packets through the use of codes. Those separate data and voice packets are then transmitted through a wide frequency range. With CDMA more space is allocated for data, making the standard particularly attractive for high-speed mobile Internet uses.
While it is most often associated with fleet tracking technology, the CDMA standard was originally designed by Qualcomm. It is currently used widely used throughout the United States and in parts of Asia. Most U.S. cell phone carriers have adopted the CDMA standard, including such heavy hitters as Verizon, Sprint and Virgin Mobile.
While GSM provides more extensive coverage outside the United States, CDMA is often the superior standard for use within the U.S. and Canada. The superior coverage CDMA provides throughout the U.S. and Canada means better location accuracy, enhanced security and a host of other benefits for fleet managers.
