Way back in 1915, the American company AT&T contemplated the use of wireless phones. This idea was soon shelved as the company feared that its control on wired service would end. Cell phones in 1996 ushered in a new age of mobile telephony. Mobile sets could now be connected to the internet and wireless e-mail. A new generation of Smart phones was born. The mobile phones are designed with latest technology which has turned as pocket PC.



Mobile phones can transmit and receive from a number of cell sites or base stations which are fitted with the help of special antennas. These sites are normally built on a tower. Mobiles transmit voice and data to the nearest cell site with the help of a low powered transceiver. The mobile number will be registered with the mobile telephone exchange.

The sites have low powered transmitters (1 or 2 watts) and can relay between the mobile phones and the main switch. The switch helps to connect the call to another caller of the same wireless service provider or to the public telephone network. This dialogue that ensues is a flow of data which is digital and digitized audio.

There are several categories of mobile phones from basic phones to feature phones such as music phones, camera phones and smart phones. Technological advances have led to miniaturization and increased processing power of microchips. Even more features have been added to these mobiles. A high-end Smart phone five years ago is a standard phone today.

Mobile phones have features that go far beyond text-messaging and voice calls. They include internet browsing, music (MP3) playback, memo recording, personal organizer functions, e-mail, built-in-cameras, Push-to-Talk, infra red and Bluetooth connectivity. It is envisaged that in future, they will also be able to serve as consoles to online high quality games!

The utility values of mobile phones are increasing in their scope and variety. In 1999, the first mobile internet service i-Mode was launched. Of late, mobile telephones have been used by public activists and journalists. Mobile phones have added a new dimension to news -gathering. Many companies have begun to offer mobile career guidance services. There are tools for creating websites on mobile phones Banking and commerce are increasingly conducted on mobile phones in many parts of the world.

The sale of ring tones to mobiles phone companies brought a new dimension to the mobile phone industry. It is also called the seventh of the Mass Media with Print, recording, cinema, radio, TV and the internet preceding it. Mobile phones have made a great revolution in the recent years, with the advent of new technologies.

Law enforcement agencies use the triangulation method to trace mobile signals to the hide-outs of the most "wanted" people. In developing countries, in the last decade, mobiles have become pervasive tools of communication. Truly, mobile phones have only begun to re-define the concept of connectivity in the world.