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There are a lot of phone networks out there making a lot of really big promises about having the best network coverage. How can you separate the facts from the hype? Which mobile phone network is best suited to your needs? Let’s take a look at how mobile phone networks work and what coverage really means.
A mobile phone network is a cellular network, which means it is made up of several individual cells that communicate with other cells through some fixed-location transceiver. For this reason, mobile phones are more commonly called cell phones because each phone is one of the individual cells in the cellular network. Mobile phones make and receive calls through base stations or transmitting towers. Large geographic areas or the coverage area of a particular company is usually divided into smaller sections in order to prevent line-of-sight signal loss or signal loss due to a large number of active phones in an area. This also explains the differentiation in coverage between cities and rural areas. Base stations in cities usually cover a half mile or less whereas rural area base stations usually cover about a five mile radius. All base stations are connected to cellular switches that connect to a public telephone network or one of the mobile phone network’s other switches.
The nice thing about mobile phones is that as you travel they automatically jump to the base station or transmitting tower that provides the strongest signal, which is why you see your phone jump to a network other than the one you’ve contracted with if it can’t find a base station or tower from your mobile phone network. Almost all cell phones use some form of cellular technology, some examples are Global System for Multiple Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS).
A lot of your mobile phone network’s coverage capability depends on the number of base stations or transmitting towers they own or the number of base stations or transmitting towers they have access to. Most mobile phone networks will show you a coverage map for the area you live in or the area you will be using the mobile phone in so you can have a good idea of whether their mobile phone network provides the type of coverage you need.
Both city dwellers and rural residents face special problems with mobile phone networks. For example, in large cities you may find your phone jumping from one mobile phone network provider to another while you are making calls or sending text messages. This can result in very expensive roaming fees. On the other hand in rural areas the distance between base stations and transmitting towers may be so great that you can run into “dead zones” where you do not have any type of network coverage.
It is a good idea to do a little research on the websites of the mobile phone networks you are considering. Find out exactly what type of network coverage they have in the areas where you will be using the mobile phone the most. This research will help you make an educated decision when choosing your next mobile phone network.