What is a mobile phone?

A mobile phone is any portable phone that uses technology cellular network to make and receive calls. The name comes from the cellular structure of these networks. There is some confusion about what mobile phones are different from smartphones, but technically every mobile phone, from the latest Android phone to the most basic phone, is a mobile phone. It’s all about the technology used to carry your calls, not what the handset itself can or can’t do. As long as a phone can transmit a signal to the cellular network, it is a mobile phone.

The term «mobile phone» is interchangeable with the terms «Cell phone» and «Mobile phone». They all mean the same thing. Term smartphone means a mobile phone that offers more advanced features than just calls, SMS messages and basic organizer software. Often, when talking about mobile phones, the mobile phone is used to describe the simple function of the phone, and the smartphone is used to describe the more advanced functions. phones with touch screen .

The first commercially available mobile phone was developed by Motorola between 1973 and 1983 and went on sale in the US in early 1984. This huge cell phone weighing 28 ounces (790 grams) named DynaTAC 8000x , cost $3,995 and needed to be charged in just thirty minutes. use. The DynaTAC 8000x is almost unrecognizable as a mobile phone compared to the devices we use today. It is estimated that over 5 billion mobile phones were in use at the end of 2012.

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Why are they called smartphones?

Cellular networks

The cellular network, which gives mobile phones their name, consists of cell masts or towers distributed throughout the country in a grid pattern. Each mast covers a relatively small area of the grid, usually about ten square miles, called a cell. Major mobile operators connections (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc.) install and operate their own cell towers and therefore control the level of cellular coverage they can provide. Several such masts can be located on one tower.

When you make a call on a mobile phone, the signal is transmitted over the air to the nearest mast or tower, and then transmitted to the switching network and finally to the telephone line of the person you are calling through the mast closest to them. If you make a call while traveling, such as in a moving vehicle, you can quickly move from the range of one cell tower to the range of another. No two neighboring cells use the same frequency to avoid interference, but the transition between cell tower areas will usually be smooth.

Man talking on mobile phone in city crosswalk — Caiaimage/Getty Images

cellular

In some countries, cell phone coverage is available almost everywhere if you use one of the major national carriers. In any case, in theory. As you might expect, cellular coverage is generally better in built-up areas than in more rural areas. Areas where coverage is limited or non-existent are usually places with poor access or areas where there is little benefit to cellular operators (eg, sparsely populated areas). If you’re thinking about operator change definitely worth checking out what their insurance is in your area.

Cell towers in built-up areas such as cities are often quite close together, sometimes only a few hundred feet, because buildings and other structures can interfere with the signal. In open areas, the distance between the masts can be several miles, as there is less interference with radio waves. If the cellular signal is simply very weak (not non-existent), consumers can buy a cellular repeater or network extension cable which can amplify and amplify a weak signal.