Cellular technology has changed a lot since the mid-1980s.
Cellular technology has come a long way since its inception in 1983. Beginning as large, bulky devices that used low-level analog frequencies for communication, cell phones today have transformed into streamlined devices that use higher-level digital bands to transmit clear voice and data. While many people unknowingly benefit from the switchover from analog to digital, it is important to understand why the two technologies are so divergent.
Analog Functionality
Analog cell phones were invented in the 1980s. Utilizing low-level frequencies, these devices break down a user's voice into electronic pulses that are sent out along network pathways to be reconstructed at the other end by another phone. Because the signal used to establish this two-way communication is not compressed, analog technology wastes a lot of bandwidth and, as a result, unnecessarily limits the number of people able to initiate and maintain conversations at any one time. Analog conversations are also prone to interruption from static and other distortions that cannot be weeded out.
Analog Retirement
The clarity and bandwidth-efficiency downsides to analog cell phones are considered widely to be too limiting, which is why the Federal Communications Commission retired the technology in the United States in 2008.
Digital Operation
Unlike analog, digital phones highly compress your voice and transmit conversation back and forth using only a small amount of available bandwidth. This allows for a much greater number of people to use their phones in any given area. Digital technology also provides better sound quality and protects against cell phone cloning. It also allows for the use of more modern features like three-way calling, voicemail and high-speed web browsing.
Digital Default
Even before the FCC retired analog as the standard in 2008, the transition to digital was already mostly complete due in large part to the many advantages of the newer technology. According to an interview given to PC World by Debra Lewis, a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless, less than 1 percent of their users were still using analog cell phones before the 2008 analog retirement. Digital is now the default form of wireless communication and largely provides for the nearly 2.5 billion cell phone users worldwide.
Considerations
Due to the nature and frequency of their cell phone usage, many people may be unaware that analog technology has been discontinued. In the past, many people purchased prepaid cell phones to keep in the glove boxes of their cars, hoping to use the phones in case they ever broke down and needed to call for help. If they were unaware of the technology switch, they could be left stranded. If you (or someone you know) has an analog cell phone that has not been used in quite some time, it is vital that it be tested out and replaced if necessary.
Tags: cell phone, cell phones, analog cell, many people, analog cell phones
