10 - Cellular wireless communications

Abstract

This chapter discusses the concept of cellular communications and different types of wireless technologies available. Cellular communications systems are wireless mobile communications systems that divide a large geographic area into smaller sections or cells, each with a low-power wireless transmitter, for the purpose of optimising the use of a limited number of frequencies. The basic geographic unit of a cellular system is a cell that conceptually has a hexagonal shape. A cellular communication system consists of four major components—namely, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO), cell sites with antenna systems, and mobile subscriber units (MSU). Cellular digital packet data (CDPD), also known as “wireless IP,” is a robust and secure data transmission technology for use on analog cellular phone frequencies General packet radio service (GPRS) is a data service that supplements circuit switch data (CSD) and short message service (SMS) on GSM networks. High data rate (HDR)—also referred to as l x EV—is a wireless Internet access technology that provides up to 2.4 Mbps in a standard bandwidth 1.25 MHz channel for fixed, portable, and mobile applications.