Simultaneous voice & data: do you really care?

[Litt]

I've seen the talk around here about simultaneous voice and data, and of course I've seen AT&T and Apple push this as a "must have". Thing is I've never found a time when not having this was an issue for me. Who would use this and why? Right now it seems to be about as helpful as having sleeves for my blanket.

 

[drew0020]

I need it. After using an iPhone for 3 years and finally trying to make myself switch this would be a deal breaker for me. Im so close to finally ditching my iPhone and every year I make excuses and stay with it. Im finally tiring of the stale design and O/S, and the awful notification system of the iPhone.

 

[Jeremy]

I use Verizon with Droid devices and AT&T with an iPhone 3GS and it really bothers me when I can't use voice and data. There are times where it really comes in handy. Now if you never experienced it then I don't think it would be a big deal but if you get used to it... it is.

 

[WatermelonSlim]

Trust me, if you use a Slingbox then it is the most annboying thing in the world when it stops every time you get a text message/tweet/facebook message, etc. I know there is no sling player on android yet, but there will be soon.

Plus, when you are talking with your girl on the phone trying to plan the evening, it's nice to be able to see what movies are playing at what time and theater, and what restaurants are in the area, etc- without calling her back 10 times.

It's absolutely a must have for me, and I'm glad the Evo has it.

 

[fr4nk1yn]

There are rare occasions where it could be handy but not enough for me to ever miss it.

 

[MOE-GUNZ]

There are rare occasions where it could be handy but not enough for me to ever miss it.

What he said

I propose a third option "Would like to have it, but not a big deal".

 

[widdlewade]

One thing I miss about Windows Mobile phones, it gives you the power to set the priority, if you knew how to program it correctly.
Since I use my device as primarily a communicatios device, an I travel a lot, I use keep an second device for fun stuff. When I was using one single device, I missed a lot of calls, which led to my getting a second device.

 

[WatermelonSlim]

Wait til you guys get Sling Player. When you're using it in a 3G area on Sprint or Verizon, you'll think I was a prophet, lol.

 

[Litt]

What he said

I propose a third option "Would like to have it, but not a big deal".

If you can tell me how to add that option, I'd be happy too.

 

[gabbott]

What he said

I propose a third option "Would like to have it, but not a big deal".

Yeah, I'd chose that option

 

[bdizzel1982]

This feature has been around since 2009 for CDMA phones, the problem is none of the carriers have spent the money to actually enable the feature on there towers as of yet.

CDG : News & Events : CDG Press Releases



CDMA DEVELOPMENT GROUP ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF CDMA2000 1X ADVANCED SPECIFICATIONS

Enhancements quadruple the voice capacity of existing CDMA2000 1X networks

COSTA MESA, CA — August 17, 2009 — The CDMA Development Group (CDG) today announced that the specifications for CDMA2000? 1X Advanced have been completed and published by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). 1X Advanced allows 3G CDMA operators to significantly increase the voice capacity of their CDMA2000 1X network by taking advantage of several interference cancellation and radio link enhancements. Among these improvements are base transceiver station (BTS) interference cancellation, improved power control, early frame termination, and smart blanking. 1X Advanced enhancements can be integrated all at once or in phases, offering operators an evolutionary approach to expanding existing networks based on their individual market needs. The complete set of 1X Advanced enhancements can theoretically quadruple the voice capacity of CDMA2000 1X systems in the same 1.25 MHz of spectrum.

“Both large and small CDMA2000 operators will benefit greatly from the voice capacity gains enabled by 1X Advanced,” said Perry LaForge, executive director of the CDG. “In addition to lowering the average cost per call for more affordable voice services, 1X Advanced also frees up channels to deliver 1xEV-DO broadband data services. Additionally, as operators consider augmenting their 3G CDMA networks with LTE and Mobile WiMAX, 1X Advanced will enable them to get more out of their existing circuit-switched voice networks for as long as needed.”

1X Advanced builds on the CDMA2000 1X technology platform, which has been providing superior voice quality and capacity for more than ten years. Operators can now transition to 1X Advanced gradually and economically, while sustaining backward compatibility. The spectral efficiency of the 3GPP2 standard has been recently enhanced with advanced voice codecs like Enhanced Variable Rate Codec-B (EVRC-B) and the use of quasi-linear interference cancellation (QLIC) techniques, which are already providing up to 50 percent higher voice capacity in today’s networks. The next step would be to move to 1X Advanced, which is a simple channel card upgrade (expected to be commercial in the second half of 2010) with new devices supporting mobile receive diversity, enabling them to more than double voice capacity immediately after the channel upgrade.

A complementary device enhancement known as simultaneous 1X Voice and EV-DO Data (SVDO) will also become available during the same timeframe and will enable CDMA2000 devices to access EV-DO packet data services while in an active 1X circuit-switch voice call. For example, users will be able to send emails or access the Web while on voice calls; phones with GPS can update maps or download real-time traffic information while on voice calls, etc. This device enhancement, which enables these concurrent voice and data services, is independent of the air link standard and infrastructure.

For more information, please visit CDMA Development Group.

About CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a widely deployed 3G technology, with 288 operators in 103 countries and territories serving 472 million subscribers. Counting 2G cdmaOne™ subscribers, there are over 480 million CDMA users worldwide. CDMA2000 1xEV-DO is a widely-deployed 3G CDMA (IMT-2000) solution offering mobile broadband to 120 million people across a wide range of devices. CDMA2000 has been chosen by operators in both developed and emerging markets, and is deployable in the 450, 700, 800, 1700, 1900, AWS and 2100 MHz bands. More than 2,110 CDMA2000 devices from over 115 suppliers have been introduced to the market, including more than 528 Rel. 0 and 118 Rev. A devices on 107 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rel. 0 and 66 Rev. A systems. More information on CDMA2000 is available on the CDG Web site at CDMA Development Group.

About CDG
The CDMA Development Group is a trade association formed to foster the worldwide development, implementation and use of CDMA2000 technologies. The more than 140 member companies of the CDG include many of the world’s largest wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers. The primary activities of the CDG include development of CDMA2000 features and services, public relations, education and seminars, regulatory affairs and international support. Currently, there are more than 500 individuals working within various CDG subcommittees on CDMA2000-related matters.

# # #

Note to editors
cdmaOne is a registered trademark of the CDMA Development Group. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

[fr4nk1yn]

One thing I miss about Windows Mobile phones, it gives you the power to set the priority, if you knew how to program it correctly.
Since I use my device as primarily a communicatios device, an I travel a lot, I use keep an second device for fun stuff. When I was using one single device, I missed a lot of calls, which led to my getting a second device.

That's because WM is notoriously bad in that respect. I often had calls go straight to VM because I was browsing. Now my phone just crashes but that's a different story o:

 

[6tr6tr]

I've seen the talk around here about simultaneous voice and data, and of course I've seen AT&T and Apple push this as a "must have". Thing is I've never found a time when not having this was an issue for me. Who would use this and why? Right now it seems to be about as helpful as having sleeves for my blanket.

Here's the thing: is it critical for current non-iPhone users? Probably not the majority of them. BUT, if Sprint wants to GAIN customers (something they've shown they cannot, as of yet, do) in the smartphone market, and particularly iPhone users who love the iPhone BUT hate AT&T, this is CRITICAL.

 

[Eguy]

I have lived without it for years, I don't mind at all. Since we will have it with 4G though, it's a good thing to be able to do.

 

[cesjr02]

I've used CDMA phones forever so for me it won't be a feature lost. It would be great to have voice and surf over 4G but I don't live in a 4G area anyway so it's not a huge issue for me.

 

[ChaosShadow]

It's not the end of the world if I can't do both, but, if it was there, I'd probably use it once in a while.

 

[yazman666]

This is of course a big plus in any device but to be honest i seat with my girl to plan the evening on the phone very often and when i do i already know where to go so for me is not really a big deal...

 

[emeraldayotte]

As most folks have already said, if it were available I could see it being a cool plus for some scenarios but I've lived this long without so it's not a deal breaker for me.

 

[LABLE]

I agree with some of you guys saying that it would be a great option to have. Maybe win over some customers, for people that really want it.

 

[Broheemster]

I've probably used this feature a handfull of times and all of which were just out of boredom in the conversation so I would Browse the net. To be honest it will be a long time before I notice this feature is missing. Supposing absence is the case.