Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies.
CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communication channel. This allows several users to share a band of frequencies (see bandwidth). To permit this without undue interference between the users, CDMA employs spread spectrum technology and a special coding scheme (where each transmitter is assigned a code).
CDMA is used as the access method in many mobile phone standards. IS-95, also called “cdmaOne”, and its 3G evolution CDMA2000, are often simply referred to as “CDMA”, but UMTS, the 3G standard used by GSM carriers, also uses “wideband CDMA”, or W-CDMA, as well as TD-CDMA and TD-SCDMA, as its radio technologies.