[js1138]

I don't know much about the technology, but my local Cingular dealer says their decisions are based on the caust of broadcasting, which after the equipment is installed, is the greatest single cost.

Whatever the technical details, it boils down to having the greatest possible bandwidth available to sell, since the frequencies are regulated. Digital (using any system) is cheaper than analog because it enables more compression. When you say that one digital technology is better than another, it implies that it squeezes more information into the same bandwidth.

[_Jim]

but my local Cingular dealer says their decisions are based on the caust of broadcasting,

Geez kid ... you're talking to some sales types who received a few hours of training for their job ... they aren't the engineers or the system designers or the analysts who review the numbers up front in the business office where all these 'costs' are actualy seen and evaluated each month!!!

Okay, fine. Believe what some ex-shoe salesman-type tells, you ...

[spunkets]

"When you say that one digital technology is better than another, it implies that it squeezes more information into the same bandwidth."Also there is a difference in tolerance to noise and other users. It's a signal quality concern. There's also the consideration of how and whether, or not, digital modes can be used.