How Cell Phones Really Work

You may have become so attached to your cell phone that it is impossible for you to imagine living without it. Many of us no longer view cell phones as an extravagant luxury. For many, cell phones are a necessity not only for work, but for family relationships as well.

Yet, even though cell phones might have become an essential part of your life, you might have given little thought to how these handy gadgets actually work. Once you understand the intricacies involved, you may be more appreciative of your trusty cell phone than ever before.

You might not realize it, but a cell phone is actually a radio. Thanks to the sophisticated technology involved, millions of people can utilize their cell phones at the same time, since frequency can be reused throughout a city. Each cell phone has special codes which are used to determine the service provider as well as to identify the phone and the owner of the phone.

The control channel of the phone is a particular frequency that the phone and the base station use to converse about call set-up and changing channels. If control channels cannot be located, no service is available to the phone. Once the phone and the tower are on the right frequencies, the call goes through. That means that a cell phone conversation is, in essence, a two-way radio conversation.

Good for the Environment?

A cell phone is also environmentally friendly in that it consumes little power. Because of its small, low-power batteries, the cell phone itself can be quite compact, making it easy to use and to carry.

The Difference in Digital

Interestingly enough, digital cell phones take advantage of the same radio technology as analog phones; however, the technology is used in a different way. It should be noted that analog signals cannot be used as easily as digital signals can be. As a result, digital technology is more efficient than analog technology.

Cell phone networks use three different means for transmitting information. These are: Frequency Division Multiple Access, Time Division Multiple Access, and Code Division Multiple Access.

With Frequency Division Multiple Access, or FDMA, each call is placed on a different frequency. With Time Division Multiple Access, or TDMA, each call is assigned a certain amount of time on a specific frequency. With Code Division Multiple Access, or CDMA, each call has a unique code and is spread over the frequencies that are available.

As you can see from this description, a great deal goes into that tiny cell phone that's tucked into your purse or pocket. As a result, you should be more thankful than ever for the explosion of cell phone technology we've experienced over the last few years.