Mobile technology lets people connect with one another anytime, anywhere. This access to information creates new opportunities and challenges for businesses. It also means that employees and managers can work remotely, saving time and money on travel expenses.
A mobile phone is essentially a tiny wireless radio. A tiny microphone inside the phone converts the up-and-down sounds of your voice into a pattern of electrical signals. A microchip then turns these signals into a string of numbers. The number-packed radio wave is beamed out from the phone’s antenna (also known as an aerial) and races at the speed of light until it reaches the nearest cellphone mast.
The cellular network standard called 0G came first in the 1970s. The next technology is called 1G, which was developed in the 1980s. This introduced the ability to send SMS text messages and browse the internet on phones with a maximum data transfer rate of 2.4 Kbps. 3G networks improved the data transmission speed, allowing for GPS, video calls and more advanced features. The fourth generation of mobile networks, called 4G, offers speeds up to 100Mbps and is currently available on many smartphones.
GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, is the most common cellular network standard. It’s used by most of the world’s cellphones and provides call, text and data services. CDMA is an alternative cellular network standard that’s used primarily in the United States. It’s similar to GSM, but it doesn’t use SIM cards for service and it’s more difficult to move data between devices on the same network.