HOW CELLULAR NETWORKS WORK (AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE)
Every day, we use technology on a daily basis that we have absolutely no idea how it works. Televisions, radios, computers, microwaves, and automobiles are just a few examples. In many cases, it doesn’t really matter if we know how it works—with one major exception. The cellular phone has become the most high-tech piece of equipment that most people carry with them at all times, and have come to depend on heavily. Unfortunately, we often run into frustrating limits—lack of coverage, poor connections, dropped calls, and roaming charges, just to name a few. Understanding how cell phone networks work can help you better deal with these limits. First of all, why are they called “cellular phones”?
To connect and place a call, cellular phones send a radio wave through the air. These radio transmissions are picked up by a large radio tower. However, there is a limit to how far each radio tower can transmit its signal. The radio tower and its transmission area is called a ‘cell’, and it only covers a circular (or, technically, spherical) area of just a few miles. How, then, can these towers connect to someone hundreds of miles away?
The answer is that the radio tower transmits your signal to the radio tower next door, which then passes it on to the next radio tower, and so on. Your call travels through several radio tower cells in order to place a call—hence the term “cellular phone”.
When your cell phone tells you “no service”, this means that you have moved outside of the range of ANY radio tower. Telecommunications companies are building more and more cellular towers across the country ever day, trying to increase their coverage to include all population centers, even small towns, and all major roads (in particular the Interstate Highway system). Consequently, finding yourself in an area so remote that you can’t receive a cellular tower signal is becoming increasingly rare. I live, for example, in a small town in New Mexico, and even out here I have be pretty deep into the desert before I can’t a cell tower signal.
More often when you get no service, it means you are in a structure built out of materials that block the radio signals. Basements of concrete buildings are particularly notorious for this. In a similar way, radio signals that can get through but are very weak results in a poor connection, because not all of the voice data being transmitted is being received by your phone. In a situation where you have a weak signal, you may lose the signal, resulting in a dropped call.
All cell phones these days have an indicator on the main display showing you how strong of a signal you are receiving. It almost always takes the form of a symbol that looks like a telephone pole, followed by four or five bars. If you have only one bar, you are receiving a very weak signal, and you can expect poor call quality or even a dropped call. To deal with a weak signal or no signal, move above ground, or toward a window. Use the signal indicator on your phone to find a place where you are getting at least two bars. From that location, you have a pretty good chance of placing a complete call of decent quality.
Finally, there is roaming. What is roaming, and why does it cost so much? The trick to understanding roaming is that, although you see cellular towers everywhere, they are not necessarily all owned by the same company. Each major telecommunications company maintains their own cellular network. It is possible that although your phone is receiving a signal, it may be from a cell tower owned by a rival network that you do not subscribe to (this happens a lot out here in New Mexico). You can still place the call, but if you do, your cell phone provider has to pay that rival company a fee for using their equipment. They pass that cost onto you, and that is why roaming minutes are not included in your cell phone plan and cost so much more.
The good news is that more and more cell phone providers are striking deals where they can use each other’s cell towers networks on an equal basis. This essentially increases the size of their own networks and makes their customers happier. Consequently, finding yourself in a location where roaming rates apply is becoming more and more rare these days.
We hope this extremely brief introduction to how cellular networks operate has helped you. At least now when something goes wrong with your cell phone, you’ll know what’s causing it, and how to fix it.
Satellite phones
A satellite phone is a kind of mobile communication device that is much like a cell phone but it connects via satellites orbiting outside of the Earth’s atmosphere as opposed to the cellular towers located across the Earth’s surface. A satellite phone is needed when the user is traveling to remote areas where standard cellular service would not be available or when an absolute availability and continuity of service is essential.
When satellite phones began to be used they resembled the size, shape, and weight of the bulky cell phones that were common in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They typically had a long retractable antenna that aided in receiving and sending communication signals. Today, satellite phone technology has allowed for smaller phones that are the general size of a typical cell phone. Up and coming technology in satellite phones shows no immediately distinguishable difference in the look of the satellite phones from that of cell phones.
Some satellite cellular services offer coverage over the whole Earth, while others offer service in specific regions. The coverage depends on the location of the satellites for that particular network.
Satellite phones which you transmission satellites in geosynchronous orbit can offer almost continuous global service coverage with only about three to four satellites. The satellites themselves are extremely heavy, so they are quite costly to construct and launch, however, since there are only a few satellites used, the actually launch cost is reduced. The way these satellites are able to offer a global coverage with only a few satellites is that they are actually positioned twenty-two thousand miles above the earth’s surface.
The bandwidth of geosynchronous satellites is higher than other systems. These systems can also provide portable satellite Internet capabilities by using terminals the size of a lap-top. The speed of the Internet connectivity ranges from 60 KB to 512 KB.
A problem with the geostationary satellite systems is that even when a large amount of sky is available, if the line of sight between the satellite and the phone/laptop is blocked by an obstacle such as a mountain, steep hill, or forested area, the user will have to find higher ground in order to make a connection.
A slight inconvenience with these systems is that the high altitude of the satellites causes a noticeable delay while using data services or making a voice call.
Another problem with satellite systems that are geostationary is that in a number of regions, even where there is a big expanse of open sky, the line of sight from the phone to the satellite is hindered by obstacles such as forests and steep hills and the user has to locate a higher spot before using the phone. This doesn’t happen with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) services - even if the signal is blocked by something, a person can wait just a couple of minutes for another satellite to pass overhead
When using a satellite phone while in areas where no other communication is available, especially when there might be a need to call for emergency assistance, the low Earth orbit, or LEO, satellites provide faster coverage that covers all areas without service gaps. If there is a time when there isn’t coverage while there is full access to the sky, the user need only to wait a few minutes until another satellite comes into range, which never takes very long. LEO satellites orbit the earth at a high rate of speed, completing it’s orbital time in 70-90 minutes. They are positioned much lower in the sky at only 400 to 700 miles in altitude. A significantly higher number of satellites are used for these systems.
The cost of making calls from a satellite phone range from 15¢ to $2 per minute. Calling a satellite phone from a standard phone, such as a landline or cellular phone, can cost anywhere from $3 to an astronomical $14 per minute. When making calls between two satellite phones on different systems, the price per minute soars to the $15 per minute range.
Satellite phones vary significantly with service availability, plans, features, and coverage options. Because competition is growing, a wise buyer will be careful to carefully compare plans ans contact each company being considered to ask if there are any specials that are currently being offered for the location the phone will be used in.
Satellite phones are a long way off from cell phones, but the safety and security you will feel while out of touch with the rest of the world makes them a worthy investment and essential tool.
Mobile phone cameras
Today’s cellular phones almost have to have a camera as a standard feature or consumers won’t even bother looking at it, almost as silly as waiting for the lottery to reach 50 million before you’ll buy a ticket. Camera phones have become one of the most sought after features next to MP3 players on cell phones. Everybody wants to have a camera on their phone. The problem is most people don’t know what to look for. Camera phones are not the same as a still camera or digital camera.
Cell phone cameras are designed to give you an option of taking a still picture or if your phone has this feature, shooting video. Often time’s people will snap a picture with their cell phone and choose to make it their background photo. With all the technology out today, having a camera phone is a nice feature but it’s not widely used as a camera. It depends on what kind of camera you have in your phone. The makers of your phone concentrate on the connectivity and ease of making calls. A camera built in is nice but it shouldn’t replace a regular camera. There are also reasons that people don’t want a camera on their phone. It uses up a lot of memory to store your pictures unless you transfer them to your computer.
Cell phone camera range from simple to pretty complex, it depends on what you’re going to be using you cell phone camera for, you might want to explain to the salesperson because they are selling you the brand and the features first. Let them know what you want and they can steer you towards the best cell phone camera that will fit your needs. Don’t get stuck with something that you won’t use.
A digital camera is used for taking pictures. It gives you the option of seeing your pictures as soon as you take them and many require memory cards so you can download your pics as soon as you’re near a PC. Cell phone cameras also store your pictures so that you can review them and show friends but unlike a digital camera, the difference is in the lens. Cell phone cameras are not high-end instruments; they are features, plain and simple. A digital camera, however, starts with pixels and zoom capabilities, some might argue that you have two cameras to take pictures with but digital cameras are designed for one purpose, your phone has several functions.
Although you might have more fun personalizing the features on your phone since it’s a multi laden gadget you’ll see that in addition to making phone calls and storing information is design and purpose is to used to communicate. Digital cameras have many specific features for taking pictures and downloading them so you can crop them and even print them from your camera. Cell phones don’t offer such luxuries.
If you just need to have a camera on your cell phone then its best to shop around for that feature first. Many times, you’ll find that if the camera is a high-end part of the cell phone then the rest of the features are top notch as well. Search for a camera phone that allows you shoot in dark light and with video. Always make sure to add extra memory to your phone if it’s going to replace your current digital camera. You don’t want to be shooting or recording and run of out of memory during an important event.
Mobile internet
The days of sitting at a desk while accessing the internet are fast becoming a thing of the past. Desktops won’t be obsolete any time soon but the allure of being on the go and being able to surf the web gives those who want that advantage a whole new world to explore. Cell phones have become a norm for everybody, no longer are they a luxury but they’ve almost become a necessity in the business world. The private sector knows the importance of keeping in touch with the world around them; the internet has become our encyclopedia for a new generation. Imagine trying to operate a business today without it, you’d close the doors by noon.
Cell phones often advertise web access, it’s almost become a standard feature. Older cell phones don’t offer it, but a quick upgrade is all you’ll need to be mobile, literally. Since everybody seems to be on the go these days being able to check your e-mail or find out the latest news is important. Nobody wants to be left out of the loop and having mobile internet access is the best way to still get your news on the go. Cell phones often charge for internet access so it’s best to limit your time on the web through your service provider. Sometimes you can’t always surf the web on your phone. The connection might not be good or the system may be bogged down with other users. It’s a drawback but one that’s considered par for the course when you’re dealing with a cellular web connection.
Another way to access the internet is through your laptop. All laptops have a USB port, this allows you to interface with the computers main drive and have the internet whenever and wherever you want it. AT&T sells an internet USB card that inserts into your computers USB port, you can surf the web from any location. It’s great for those times when you’re traveling or you can’t find a Wifi connection or if you do, it’s secured and you can’t access it legally.
USB ports have recently been utilized because Wifi hot spots are often secured like in hotels or libraries. A special code is required or you’re limited in your use or time restraints are too harsh. Many laptops come with a feature that allows you to bypass using an internet card and connect directly to the internet with a Wifi signal finder. When you turn your laptop on an internal drive alerts you to a Wifi signal in the area. You can log on and surf the web, but you need to be aware that not all Wifi hotspots allow free internet. Some internet café’s require you to purchase something if you’re going to sit in their bar and sip Chia tea while blogging about your life.
Since cellular phones are limited in opening more than one page of a web browser, they aren’t considered an ideal way to surf the web. If you just want quick news and one page at a time information, then they will work just fine. Having a USB internet card allows you surf the web without restrictions, it can be used in other laptops so it’s not exclusive to just one USB port. Wifi is great if it’s free for you. If you have found a signal that’s secured, it’s best not to piggyback on that signal and use it as your own. It’s considered illegal and could land you in trouble.
10 cell phone service providers in USA
There are several dozen American cell phone service providers, but they each fall differently on a scale from poor to excellent in what they cost, what services are provided, and how easily those services can be utilized. Here is a look at the top ten cell phone service providers in the United States.
Verizon Wireless - With plans starting at $39.99, Verizon Wireless has grown popular for offering a wide spectrum of different plan options with different features and minutes. Verizon Wireless has also gained a name for itself for providing one of the largest networks available in the United States, boasting that wherever you go, your network will follow. Verizon offers National and Regional calling plans as well as prepaid plans, individual calling plans, family plans, mobile to mobile plans and data or business plans as well. Verizon also offers free nights and weekends beginning at 9:00pm, and offers free mobile to mobile minutes in most of its plans as well. Verizon is one of the top three cell phone service providers, offering excellent service and a supportive network for a great price.
ATT - Often regarded as the second best cell phone service provider in the United States, ATT has been in the game for a long time and has a product offering that reflects that. Cell phone service plans through ATT begin at $39.99 and range significantly in price based on the options available. ATT is one of the largest cell phone service providers in the United States, striving to provide a type of plan to suit every need and lifestyle. AT&T offers a wide range of cell phones as well, including budget cell phones and smart phones, and is the only carrier that is selling the iPhone from Apple.
T-Mobile - T-Mobile ranks in third of the top ten United States cell phone service providers, offering an extensive line of cell phones and a wide variety of plans. Additionally, T-Mobile has built a strong name for itself because it has a wide area of coverage. T-Mobile has more than 180 roaming partners and offers international calling in more than 80 countries and territories all over the world. T-Mobile offers an extensive range of cell phone calling plans, including standard plans, individual and family plans, prepaid phone plans, business plans and even data plans. T-Mobile also offers a MyFaves option that allows for non-network calling of up to five pre-specified people.
Sprint / Nextel - In the middle of 2005, Sprint and Nextel merged to form what is a formidable opponent in terms of cell phone plans. While the network offered by this up and coming cell phone service provider is not as extensive as with the top three providers, the Sprint and Nextel combination is providing excellent service with an adequate number of minutes and a lot of excellent plans for customers to choose from. What has allowed Sprint / Nextel to become popular is the fact that their nights and weekends minutes begin at 7:00pm rather than 9:00pm, which is outstanding for people who really need those extra two hours of guilt-free talk time.
Qwest - Qwest Wireless has become most prominent on the West and East coasts, but then also in the Midwestern United States as well. Coverage becomes a little harder to come by in the mountain states, but reception is still fairly easy to find. Quest offers 500 anytime cell phone minutes for only $39.99, which is cheaper than most other providers. They also offer a $59.99 plan that offers 1000 minutes for any-time use. Unlike most providers, Qwest Wireless offers single year plans, but their termination fee is a little costly at $200. Perhaps not as good as the larger cell phone providers, but Qwest is still pulling its own in the cell phone service provider war.
AllTel Wireless - AllTel is an up and coming wireless service provider that has released a number of different cell phone plans, including prepaid plans, family and individual plans, data plans and even business plans. AllTel is most widely known for its My Circle plan, which allows users to designate up to twenty phone numbers that can be called for absolutely free, regardless of what network those numbers are on. For people who talk to a select few numbers more often than not, the My Circle plan is an advantageous one.
US Cellular - US Cellular is a slightly different cell phone service provider in that they do not offer free phones in exchange for contracts. Instead, US Cellular offers all incoming calls for free as long as they meet certain restrictions. US Cellular offers excellent coverage all throughout the entire country, especially in areas classified as major metropolitan areas.
Cricket - Cricket is another cell phone service provider that is gaining a lot of attention while working to surpass the main providers in terms of service and add on features. Cricket offers a Cricket Choice plan that offers unlimited mobile to mobile minutes, unlimited anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekends all for $45. Right now Cricket only has coverage in about 25 different states, but their coverage appears to be growing and they are sure to have a wider selection available soon.
Virgin Mobile - Virgin Mobile is a prepaid cell phone service plan provider, and one of the best available at that. Virgin Mobile offers plans that are competitive in comparison to regular cell phone service plans, including text messaging and picture messaging plans, and free weekend and night minutes beginning at 7:00pm. Virgin Mobile may never head the pack, but for what they are and what they are offering, this particular prepaid service provider is definitely doing well for itself.
PowerNet Mobile - The tenth and final cell phone service provider is PowerNet Mobile which was founded in 1992. This particular cell phone service plan offers a wide range of talking solutions including integrated voice, internet and data solutions. For $45.99, PowerNet Mobile offers 700 anytime minutes and a number of bonus features that make the plan worthwhile. PowerNet has substantially more coverage in the eastern half of the country, with some coverate in major metropolitan areas in the west as well. PowerNet is working on expanding, but has yet to reach a number of western states.
