What is CDMA Cellular Signal and How Does it Work?

CDMA or Code Division Multiple Access signal is generally respected as one of the most efficient voice communication signals in existence. Cellular carriers in particular favor this type of signal because of the high number of simultaneous calls that CDMA is capable of handling using a very low amount of available space. Competitive services like GSM or Global System for Mobile Communications do not have the capacity to handle the same amount of simultaneous calls within the given amount of space. The space used to transmit data is commonly referred to as its “spectral footprint”. To illustrate why CDMA has such a low spectral foot print we need to understand how it works.CDMA uses an encoding process known as Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum or DSSS. Spread spectrum imprints a unique address on the signal. This unique address is also called a bit identifier. The process of giving a unique address is only possible using digital transmissions. Bit identifiers are important because they allow receivers to ignore any data that is not intended for them. By not processing this type of useless information the network is allowed to concentrate on useful processing, and speeds up the transfer of information. DSSS imprints this signal by multiplying the original digital information by a higher frequency signal. This higher frequently signal is known as Pseudo Random Noise or a PN signal. This…