But Samsung Electronics, an affiliate of the Samsung chaebol, did have one thing going for it: The firm was totally committed to the up-and-coming phone standard of the time, known as CDMA technology (or code division multiple access), adopted by Sprint.

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Verizon, by contrast, uses a different standard, known as code-division multiple access (CDMA).

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It signed a deal earlier this year to source phones from an undisclosed Asian contractor that will work with the carrier's chosen technology, code-division multiple access (CDMA).

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