CDMA or GSM

[DukiNuki]

Hey Guys

First , let me tell you that i have Huawei Honor 6 and it is GSM . i was using H2O as my main provider until for a weird reason it got cancelled at the end of last year ( 2016 ) . and i was paying 30$ which is too much for a light user like me . ok here are my questions

1.whats the lowest i can expect to pay any company if i only use my Phones GPS and i barely call or text anyone ?

2.Is it cheaper and better to switch to sign up for CDMA services ? or should i just find a better GSM Provider ? ( i'll stay in US California )

3.Do Sprint , AT&T or Vrizon or TMobile offer GSM Services ? how can i even attempt to switch my provider without losing my current number ?

 

[photonboy]

1. You can lookup the plans online for all the companies in your area.

2. Some phones are locked to specific plans, at least for a specific time so make sure you aren't under contract or locked to one company.

3. I'm not from California, but my dad just buys a pre-paid card and uses it up. He didn't even spend $70USD (we're in Canada) last year.

(He just uses the phone like normal. I don't know where YOU would find a plan like that but they exist. I do NOT know if you can keep the same phone number though.)

You could try going to a phone outlet, though careful not to trust everything they say as they'll try to sell you a plan or do whatever benefits THEM not you.

 

[Solandri]

Here's a list of MVNOs in the U.S. The ones which use Sprint's or Verizon's networks are CDMA. The ones which use AT&T's or T-Mobile's network are GSM.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators

If you're a light user, probably some sort of pay-as-you-go plan would be best. You pay for each call you make/receive, with only a nominal monthly service fee. Here's T-Mobile's (just as an example; I haven't researched these so can't make any recommendations)
https://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/pay-as-you-go

GSM is fairly straightforward to switch between providers - just pop in a new SIM card. There's a slight complication in that AT&T's and T-Mobile's LTE networks use different bands, but for the most part phones will support enough of both carriers' bands to work interchangeably.

Sprint and Verizon make it harder (Verizon flat-out refuses to let you activate a phone that isn't Verizon-branded). If you want to use their networks with an unlocked phone, you're usually stuck with getting service from a CDMA MVNO which is BYOD (bring your own device). The same problem with LTE bands exists as with GSM, but phones which support Sprint's LTE bands generally don't support Verizon's LTE bands, and vice versa.

Here's the list of LTE bands each carrier uses:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks#USA.2C_US_Territories.2C_Canada_.26_Bolivia_.28FCC_band_plan.29

You can find phones which support a broader range of LTE bands. Google's Nexus and Pixel phones are good about this, plus they support both CDMA and GSM. GSMArena's phone database lists which bands each phone supports. (For voice, AT&T is GSM 800 and GSM 1900, Verizon is CDMA 800 and CDMA 1900, Sprint is CDMA 1900, T-Mobile is GSM 1900. Other bands become important if you travel abroad and want to use your phone by popping in a rented SIM - the phone has to support whatever voice bands are used in that country.)

http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3?

To transfer your phone number, you need to port it. When you start service with the new provider, tell them you wish to port your number from your old service. They will send a transfer request to your old provider, and when you approve it they will transfer your number to your new provider. This used to take weeks or months, but I think they've gotten it down to hours/days. However, since you say your service was cancelled, you may have already lost your old phone number. You are not supposed to cancel your old service until the number has been successfully ported.