Cellular Phones: A History of Hellos
Before the advent of cellular networks, communication with
others was quite a chore. First there was the smoke signal, and
then the messenger with scrolls, then the Pony Express, then the
telegraph and mail, then came the telephone.
People once thought that the telephone was the ultimate form of
communication. They had to guess again when cellular phones came
into vogue.
In today's information age, there are so many different forms of
communication. The internet opened the doors to electronic mail
and instant messaging communications.
However, the fastest growing mode of communication is cellular
network communication, which in everyday talk is the use of
cellular phones.
In 2003, the reported number of cellular phone users rose to 700
million, 120 million of which are in the Unites States.
The growing popularity of cellular phones owes much to the fact
that cellular phones allow subscribers to call and be called
from practically any location, as long as he or she is within
the network area. And as cellular phones grow in popularity, the
network coverage grows along with them.
Cellular phones are also attractive because they are wireless,
and are lightweight. They run on low power and can remain
powered up to receive a call for as long as half a week. The
phone allows talk times up to a few hours.
How Do They Work
Cellular phones work by transmitting radio signals to nearby
cell sites. These cell sites are towers that receive such
signals and transmit them to other nearby cell sites until they
reach the cell site nearest to the recipient of the call.
The structure of the network makes sure that the network
coverage can span immense distances without having to rely on
only on broadcast site.
These phone networks exist in most metropolitan areas in the
world and their nearby provinces. Even the far off regions of
each country are starting to benefit from an increased
construction of infrastructure to accommodate larger network
coverage.
The phone itself contains complex circuitry that allows it to be
identified over the network. This allows the network to track,
identify, and coordinate calls from its subscribers.
History of Cellular Phones
The first cellular phones were developed in the late 70's by
Illinois Bell in Chicago. This undertaking met with great
success. Development for mass service of cellular technology
began in the 80's through the 90's.
During this time, cellular phones were yet clunky, heavy, and
had very limited battery life. It was only recently that
technological innovations made possible the shrinking of the
cellular phone unit.
Nowadays people can not live without the convenience of a
cellular phone at hand. It allows people to stay constantly in
touch with people they wish to talk to. It also provides cheap,
efficient communications among time-critical endeavors such as
medical work, business meetings, etc.
The Future
The future of communications starts with the cellular network.
Even today newer protocols and technology aim to push mobile
communications to the next level. Technologies such as 3G and
GPRS are growing in support. Soon these technologies will use
the cellular networks as a springboard towards success.
Although the information age is forever changing the way we
communicate with one another. Cellular networks have effectively
redefined and re-chartered the path technology will take with
regards to communication.