 GSM path begins with traditional 2.5G access. Over time, GPRS is added for data service, and in many cases EDGE is later added to the mix. This is often referred to in the industry as Wideband CDMA and leads to the ultimate end state, the UMTS. The CDMA path, on the other hand, begins with CDMA2000 and adds high-speed data through an overlay service known as 1x Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO). 1xEV-DO technology, sometimes called "high data rate" (HDR), offers high-bandwidth wireless connectivity that is optimized for packet data over CDMA networks. EV-DO supports wireless Web access at download speeds ranging from about 384 Kbps to 2.4 Mbps, some- times eclipsing the speed of DSL and cable modems. EV-DO is being rolled out by both Verizon Wireless and Sprint, and trials are sprouting up all over the country. Ultimately, if the technology is successful, a second generation will be added called Evolution- Data / Video (EV-DV). Watch this technology closely-it may be the tip- ping point technology for CDMA-based 3G networks. In the United States, carriers are all over the map with regard to the wireless access technologies they have chosen to base their networks upon, one reason for the relatively slow deployment of a seamless wire- less broadband infrastructure. Verizon and Sprint PCS rely on CDMA2000; Cingular and T-Mobile are mostly GSM-based (there is some legacy TDMA technology scattered about as well); and Nextel, soon to be part of Sprint, uses a proprietary standard based on Motorola's iDEN technology. These technological disparities (and similarities) could be indicators of ongoing consolidation activity within the industry where it makes sense. Alternatively (or additionally), handset manufacturers will have to man- ufacture multiprotocol handsets capable of roaming and operating in all accepted protocol networks. Qualcomm offers a dual-mode chipset that allows international roamers to operate seamlessly in both GSM and CDMA environments; Samsung offers a dual-mode five-band phone for both CDMA and GSM envir