| By :
Paul Wise
In sync with the development of cellular phones over the past thirty years are the cellular networks that give them their name, despite the fact that there are many issues regarding cell phone networks - from coverage and service to unlocked cell phones and contracts - few individuals understand exactly what a cell phone network is, or how it works. Excluding people that have unlocked cell phones, anyone using a mobile device most likely has a contract with a cell phone service provider, big name companies like Verizon or AT&T currently being the two largest providers. What a cell phone user is basically paying for with their contract to these providers is the use of the cellular network they've established across the country - and abroad. The network itself is simply a network of fixed location transceivers called cell sites or base stations located at fixed geographical locations over a wide area. The range associated with an individual base station where a cell phone can reliably connect varies depending on many factors, such as the size and power of the station, as well as geographical features and other environmental factors. The range of each tower comprises what is known as a cell. Therefore, a cellular network is really a series of strategically positioned towers whose overlapping range of coverage is knit together, so that as long as a user is within range of at least one tower, they could get connected to the network and maintain a signal, even if passing between various cells. Verizon and AT&T have both managed to build a cellular network that covers about 95% of the population in the continental US. Once connected to the network, a signal or call could be forwarded to any other device that has been programmed (through a service provider contract) to the network. Moreover, cell phone signals received by cell sites may also be run from the cell tower through hard lines to reach standard telephones wired into a building or home. When a cell phone is purchased together with a cellular service provider, the phone is automatically programmed for use with that company's cellular network. As an example, iPhone users are contracted to AT&T, and so all of their calls are routed through AT&Ts network of base stations and cell sites. Unlocked cell phones are phones which have not been pre-programmed for virtually any particular network, allowing users to select whichever cellular network works best for them. This is often determined by several factors unique to each company's contract and terms of services, as pertains to the user's needs and financial capabilities. Nonetheless, the geographical solidarity of a cell network is arguably more important, depending on where the user lives. In certain, more remote areas of the country, not all companies have any installations physically situated nearby, and therefore lack coverage.
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