The cell phone industry generated an astronomical $118 billion in revenues in 2004. Those types of figures tend to boggle the mind and make things appear to be out of control. Indeed, when considering the vast nature of the various networks, it would be easy to understand how one cell phone number can go missing.



Be that as it may, you still can record a video of your child at Disneyland and beam it to grandma over in Boise, Idaho. They have emerged as a versatile and user friendly component of life today.

What is a wireless network? Wireless networks are simple, yet complex to explain. For starters, wireless networks are a group of radio towers joined together. They are a few miles apart from each other basically forming a grid.

The space from one tower to the next is called a cell. The landline telephone network is also connected to these towers. When you make a cell phone call, your phone searches for a signal from a cell tower. It finds the signal and joins up with the network. If your cell phone fails to locate a signal, you will not get any service.

In making your choice for a service provider, consider where you will be using your cell phone the most. Does your intended provider adequately cover the area you will be using your cell phone? If they cannot give you network coverage that will satisfy your needs, then do not chose that provider.

A major requirement for all cell phones is to have a System Identification Code, SID. It is a unique five digit number. The FCC ensures that each carrier gets this number. When you sign a service contract your cell phone gets its SID code. It is then activated.

When you make a call your handset tries to find an SID on the control channel. If it cannot find one, the phone realizes it is out of range and displays a no service message. However, when your cell finds an SID the two are compared to see if they are a match.

If they match, your phone knows it is operating on home turf. Should they not match up, your handset is roaming. Your home system is then contacted by the network system in which you are roaming. It lets them know that your handset is roaming in their area.

At this point, your network manager checks its own database to make sure that your SID is valid. As your phone roams throughout the cells, it is tracked. Using someone elses network like that means added costs. That is why roaming charges are very expensive.

In the years to come the wireless industry will continue to virally impact so many unrelated areas of business. Cell phones have become so much more than devices that you contact granny with. They connect you to the internet, they also can be used as GPS locators. There are numerous tasks that these handheld devices can fulfill. Consider wisely when you make a choice to purchase one.