Code Division Multiple Access or CDMA, is one form of Digital, used in wireless (Cellular& PCS) phones. CDMA is used by Verizon, AirTouch& Sprint Wireless, to name a few.

CDMA is all-digital and breaks calls down into coded bytes for transmission. In conventional cellular systems, customer calls ride on analog radio waves. In Digital (CDMA) systems, calls are handled in streams of digital bits and bytes, the  language of computers. The result is a signal that is noticeably clearer and free from the cross-talk common on today's cellular systems.

Only CDMA uses "soft handoff." Handoff is what happens to a call when a customer drives out of the coverage of one cell into the coverage of another. With soft handoff the call is simultaneously connected to both cell sites, meaning the call is not forced to degrade before handoff, maintaining call quality and minimizing dropped calls.

Other Cellular and PCS technologies like TDMA digital cellular and GSM (and AMPS (Analog) use hard handoff technology, which makes a break between cells before reconnection, resulting in poorer voice quality as a customer gets to the edge of a cell and to more frequent dropped calls.

In addition, a Digital system can accommodate more voice and data traffic than a conventional cellular system. Digital also is more secure than analog (AMPS)
cellular, which is susceptible to eavesdropping and electronic theft of phone numbers and other data.

However, Digital has a few problems.  The process to make and receive calls, the processing are senifagantly more complex, thus there is more call problems; Such as, call drops, incomplete, and garbled calls.  Digital require more signal to have the same call sound qualities AMPS.  This is a little less true with CDMA.

Digital at its best, is never as good as Analog at its best! The carriers (service providers) want to kill off Analog, because they can sell at least 3 Digital users to 1 Analog user;  Basically because of how the technologies works. If it was you which choice would make, if you were them (the carriers)? Sound Quality? Or Much more (money) income, like at least 3 times more???

So, with Digital, the service providers (carriers) can sell more service to more customers.  You (the customer) has more privacy, less background (contort) noise, no cross-talk, or stactic (in theory, at least).