A Evolution Data Optimized or EVDO is a telecommunication standard for wireless transmission of data using radio signals mainly for broadband Internet access. EVDO standards follow the 3G protocol and uses CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) for quick data transfer of 500 to 1000 kilobits per second. EVDO is not compatible with GSM networks. EVDO can be used to allow multiple devices within a limited area to access high speed Internet.
EVDO is an evolution of the CDMA2000 standard which allows high speed data transfer alongside the wireless service provider’s voice transmission services. EDVO is similar to CDMA2000 in terms of its bandwidth size of 1.25MHz, but its channel structure is quite different.
The backend system of EVDO works on a packet based system and hence is not held back by restrictions of a circuit based network. However, the EVDO standard faces a lot of competition. Motorola proposed 1Xtreme, a standard which was dubbed as an evolved version of EVDO.
This was however later rejected by the 3G standardization body. A host of other companies like Qualcomm, Nokia, Lucent and a few others devised a new standard called EVDV or Evolution Data and Voice. This new standard was backward compatible and did not require an overlay network when used in mixed mode.