SVDO
Simultaneous Voice and Data Only
A protocol and technical standard that allows a CDMA phone to use both voice and data networks at the same time. Specifically, when the voice network is CDMA 1xRTT and the data network is CDMA 1xEV-DO, commonly referred to as CDMA 3G.
SVDO is important because CDMA EV-DO 3G (and LTE 4G) networks were initially only built to handle data, not voice. Without SVDO, data service is unavailable during a voice call.
Not all CDMA phones support SVDO.
SVDO only applies to 3G (EV-DO) networks. A different but related standard - SVLTE - applies to 4G LTE data networks.
See: SVLTE
Last updated Nov 18, 2012 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.