Cdma vs. gsm discussions are mobile classic topics. Cdma has greater capacity/more history with 3g technology and is generally considered to be more advanced while GSM has near universality , phone choice and ability to be easily used in most of the world.

However, when you consider the parent company of Straight Talk is Tracfone, it doesn't really matter if it is gsm or cdma. Tracfone has sold both on their Tracfone/Net10 brands and their gsm phones are so locked down as to be practically cdma. Their sims can't even be used with another gsm phone from their own company: ONLY the original phone it is married to. They have the toughest unlocking prevention measurcs in the business.

And cdma companies allow some freedom. While not as flexible, easy or capable of international use like Gsm, many independent /regional cdma carriers like Pocket, Revol, Cricket, Metro and Frawg allow other cdma devices to be "flashed" or reprogrammed for the]r networks. Granted , there are more restrictions to flashing a cdma then unlocking a gsm handset, at least there is some handset freedom as an option. It is not universal unfortunately. Verizon, Sprint and US Cellular all don't allow outside cdma devices. And even the ones that do have restrictions (flash allows talk/text only sometimes, if you flash to one network and want to use it on another, you have to reflash, flashing requires esn be entered into company's data base usually via dealer, flashing requires generally more skill and work then unlocking a gsm device, no international compatibility, etc.) Some devices can't be used in ceratin areas even with the same company (Metro and Cricket's flashed phones are useless in their newer Trimode markets). Etc.

In the end, it is preference. If Gsm had the general more advanced capabilities of cdma from the getgo, cdma would be dead. Next generation 4G devices are supposed to be using both gsm and cdma technologies, the best of both. But whether Verizon and Sprint will ever allow sims to be used on their phones is another matter. A matter of politics and policy as much as technology.

At $45 unlimited talk /text/411 on the Verizon network? Yeah, it is too hard to ask of "decent" phones. Actually, Verizon restricts what a reseller can carry on their network. They have an approved handset list so they won't take away business from their contract plans.
And to further rein in potential conflicts with its own network, Verizon has a six month time trial on the ST unlimited plan. Just in case we take more then they're willing to give on their "unlimited" plan (They call it "reasonable use", bulloney for fudging on what unlimited use really means. Kind of like their "unlimited" data plans being 5 gigs).

No, it is NOT Gsm. There are NO cheap prepaid gsm unlimited carriers in the USA at this time unfortunately.. At least not a national one . All of the nationwide prepaid unlimited plans are cdma (no sim) with the sole exception of Boost iden (which uses a non gsm sim ).

Att offers $3 a day unlimited talk prepaid but that comes out to $90 a month, has no text or web.I don't count that, even though it is gsm.