iDEN
The iDEN system operated by Sprint/Nextel is actually very much a cellular system, just kind of an older generation one. The Nextel network is built and operated just like a cellular telephone system, hence the whole reason for rebanding.
Also to be considered when thinking about the 'end of iDEN'...there are many more operators out there beside Sprint that still run iDEN systems. Besides the one obvious one, Southern-LINC, there is also TELUS in Canada, and ARINC right here in the U.S. At one time ARINC was trying to sell their network by getting government and BILT users to bring their channels and connect them to the ARINC switch and literally become part of the network. Motorola also sells iDEN under the Harmony name to small- and medium-sized enterprise and government users. Because of the volume difference in iDEN vs. P25, I think iDEN handsets will continue to be less expensive than P25 radios. They also have the duplex telephone interconnect that P25 doesn't, and will be smaller and lighter than P25 radios. iDEN is really a very good technology, Sprint has just tried to take it beyond what it was intended be. Motorola intended it to be a two-way radio that had the benefit of the duplex telephone interconnect. The frills, like data service, can't and weren't meant to compete with 3G and 4G cell networks. Then Sprint tried to make a crossover into 1900 MHz and the dual-band handsets that used 800 MHz iDEN for PTT service and 1900 MHz CDMA for telephone...man do they suck. They give iDEN a bad name. When operated as what it was intended to be, iDEN is a secure, reliable technology.
But Motorola does do stupid things sometimes.
