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  • 2
    • 2G - Overview
  • 3
    • 3G - Overview
    • 3G - Network Architecture
    • 3G - UK Spectrum Auctions
  • 4
    • 4G - Drivers for the Technology
    • 4G - LTE - Network
    • 4G - Network Architecture
    • 4G+ LTE Advance
  • 5
    • 5G - Bandwidth Auction in UK
    • 5G - Cell Size
    • 5G - Drivers for the Technology
    • 5G - Overview
  • A
    • Analogue to Digital
    • Authentication
  • B
    • Base Station Subsystem
    • Basics of Mobile Phone Technology
    • Bootstrap
  • C
    • Carrier Aggregation
    • Cellular Concept
    • Cell Sectorisation
    • Cell Splitting and small cells
    • CG Nat
    • Coverage of Mobile Operators
  • E
    • EE
    • Edge
    • Equipment Identity Register
  • F
    • Frequencies for Mobile Communications
    • Frequency Physics
    • Flash SMS Messages
  • G
    • Generations
    • Generic Mobile Architecture
    • GPRS
    • GSM Architecture
  • H
    • Handover
    • Health Issues
    • Home Location Register
    • HSDPA /HSDPA+
  • I
    • Increasing Cell Capacity
    • iPhone - History
  • J
    • JQuery Mobile
  • L
    • Long SMS
    • LTE-M
  • M
    • MIMO
    • MMS Messages
    • Mobile Masts
    • Mobile Network Operators (UK)
    • Mobile Network Virtual Operators (UK)
    • Mobile Broadband
    • Modulation
    • Multiplexing
  • N
    • Native Apps
    • Network Slicing
    • Notable Phones
  • O
    • O2
    • OFDMA
  • P
    • Phase Modulation
    • Phone Numbers
    • Phone Services
  • Q
    • QAM
  • R
    • RCS Messaging
    • Registration
    • Responsive Web for Mobiles
  • S
    • Samsung S Series Phones
    • SDL
    • SIM Deals
    • SMS
    • SMS Format
    • SMS Apps
    • Speech to Radio
  • T
    • THREE
  • U
    • User Equipment
    • Unpaired Spectrum
  • V
    • Virtual SMS
    • Visitor Location Register
    • Vodafone
    • VoLTE
  • W
    • Wap
    • Web - Mobile Web Overview
    • Wap Push Messages
    • WiFi and Mobiles
    • WiMAX
  • Mobile Security
  • MPT - Podcast
Mobile Network Operators (UK)
A Mobile Network Operator (MNO), also known as a mobile network carrier, is a provider of the infrastructure upon whi . . . goto page
EE
EE is the number one mobile network within the UK by a number of measures including serving the largest percentage of . . . goto page
O2
O2 is one of the 4 UK mobile phone operators, currently owned by Telephonica, a Spanish company. O2 is the second larg . . . goto page
Vodafone
Vodafone has 19.7% share in the UK mobile phone market and is the 3rd largest of the mobile phone companies. Together . . . goto page
Three
Three is the smallest of the UK mobile operators with 10.9% of the UK market. They claim a 99.8% population coverage i . . . goto page
Generations of Mobile Phone Technology.
0G Phones The basis of modern mobile phones is the celular concept. Prior to this there were many radio telephones u . . . goto page
BSS - Base System Subsystem.
The Base Station Subsystem (BSS) (part of the 2G network) consists of 2 components; the Base Transceiver System (BT . . . goto page
Network Switching System
The Network Switching System has at it's core the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC). This takes the communication from th . . . goto page
Home Location Register
The Home Location Register (HLR) is where the netwrok stores the subscription data. It stores the permanent data abou . . . goto page
Visitor Location Register
The Visitor Location Register (VLR) comes as a pair with the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC). This stores the revevant . . . goto page
Authentication
The Authentication Centre (AuC) provides 2 functions to the GSM network. Firstly it stores the key (Ki) associated wit . . . goto page
Equipment Identity Register
The Equipment Identity Register (EIR) maintains lists of equipment that has tried to connect to a mobile phone network . . . goto page
Phone Services
The key task of a mobile phone is to make and receive phone calls. Landlines in the UK are run through the Public Serv . . . goto page
Mobile Phone Masts
A mobile phone mast is there to make the wireless connection between the MS and the rest of the network. These masts a . . . goto page
Mobile Network Coverage
The coverage of a network is crucial for the service provided to the client. In the UK there is near ubiquitous covera . . . goto page
User Equipment
A the user end of the mobile phone network is the equipment used by the user to connect to the wireless part of the n . . . goto page
Cellular Concept
Some key factors in building a cellular network : The network has to cope with large numbers of subscribers . . . goto page
Handover
Handover and handoff are different words for the same idea On a WiFi system, where mobility is not the norm, a dev . . . goto page
Registration
This description relates to the GSM model; registration for 3G and 4G networks are broadly similar The SIM has inte . . . goto page
Frequencies for Mobile Communications
In the UK there are 5 frequency bands made available for mobile phone communication. These bands are regulated by OfC . . . goto page
Mobile Phone Technology Basics
When purchased, the SIM is registered by a network with the features available to that SIM and stored in the netw . . . goto page
Phone Numbers
How do we identify the mobile device? - a phone number. International Network Operator is the number that identifi . . . goto page
Speech
When a speaker talks into their mobile phone it is an analogue signal that the phone receives; and when the receiver h . . . goto page
Analogue to Digital Conversion
When a phone call is made the task is to convert the analogue input (talking) to a digital representation of the wave . . . goto page
Mobile Network Virtual Operators (UK)
In addition to the MNOs in the UK there are a number of Mobile Virtual Network Operators. These organisations sell mo . . . goto page
Multiplexing or Multiple Access
There is a limited amount of bandwidth available to the mobile phone operators and one of their requirements is to sha . . . goto page
Modulation
The data, in terms of 0's and 1's needs to be sent on a carrier wave at a specific frequency. For example Vodafone use . . . goto page
Generic Mobile Reference Architecture
The different generations of mobile phone technology are based on a similar mobile network architecture. In order to h . . . goto page
GPRS networks
GPRS, often called 2.5G, is a enhancement to the initial 2G network. The 2G network was a phone network and data was . . . goto page
Framework for the 4G mobile Network.
The move to 4G is a move to an Enhanced UTRAN architecture or an enhanced 3G network. The technology behind 4G is LTE . . . goto page
WAP
The mobile Internet became available around 1999. The first phones, such as the Nokia 7110, were monochrome, small me . . . goto page
Mobile Web Overview
From 1990 it has been possible to see web pages on a mobile, the Nokia 7110 being one of the first devices. This was a . . . goto page
JQuery for Mobiles - JQM
JQuery is a javascript framework that simplifies native Javascript language coding. It is used extensively in web dev . . . goto page
Responsive Web Design for Mobiles - Bootstrap
Responsive web development implies a technology that will respond to the size of the display and to render the web pa . . . goto page
native Apps for Mobiles
There are millions of applications available for the mobile phone owner to download to their phone covering every conc . . . goto page
Cell Splitting and Small Cells.
The basics of cell splitting is to reduce the strength of signal of an antenna, this reducing the area of coverage fo . . . goto page
SMS Short Messaging Service
SMS is the Short Messaging System available on all mobile phones. An app on a user's phone will allow them to send an . . . goto page
SMS Messaging Apps
A single SMS message is limited to 160 characters so how can larger messages be sent? Standard SMS Apps on the ph . . . goto page
WAP Push Messages
WAP Push is a special type of SMS message that is pushed to the recipient. The data sent is one of two types : . . . goto page
MMS Messages
MMS is the Mulitmedia messages service available on all modern phones phones. It is advertised as adding rich media s . . . goto page
Increasing capacity of mobile phone network.
When a mobile operator plans the network cell, covered by a single antenna, is designed to cover the specific area tak . . . goto page
Cell Sectorisation.
The typical schematic for mobile coverage shows perfect hexagons with an omnidirectional antenna at the centre. If dem . . . goto page
EDGE networks
EDGE = Enhanced Data-rates for GPRS Evolution On a modern smartphone, users will in areas of 2G network covererage a l . . . goto page
Long SMS Messages
A standard SMS message will send messages of at most 160 7-bit characters to a recipient. But what is the message to b . . . goto page
Flash SMS Messages
SMS messages are more adaptable than many would think. Different types of message can be sent by altering setting(s) i . . . goto page
Phase Modulation
The basis of phase modulation is that changes are made to the phase of the carrier wave and these changes represent 0 . . . goto page
3G Wireless Phones
G Edge had squeezed a lot out of an older network design but there was still a demand for data. The main goal for the 3 . . . goto page
3G Spectrum Auction (UK)
here was a large demand for data within the mobile phone network. Bands at 1900MHz and 2100MHz were allocated for 3G t . . . goto page
Frequency Physics.
requencies used for mobile phone technology range from 800MHz to 2.6GHz. These frequencies have different characterist . . . goto page
HSPA / HSPA+ networks
HSPA - High Speed Packet Access HSDPA - High Speed Download Packet Access HSDPA+ - Enhanced HSDPA Afte . . . goto page
OFDMA
At the core OFDMA is a frequency division multiplexing scheme. Where the broadband, frequency range is split into a nu . . . goto page
MIMO
MIMO, is multiple input, multiple output meaning that the signal are transmitted on different frequencies to different . . . goto page
Notable Phones
The start of the mobile phone revolution was in March 1973 with a large brick sized (and weighted)device that could m . . . goto page
Unpaired Spectrum
In the auctions for mobile frequency most of the spectrum sales have been for paired spectrum.that means the uplink an . . . goto page
Mobile Broadband
A Mobile router is a device the same facility as a normal broadband router but rather than providing the backhaul over . . . goto page
Apple iPhones
In 2007 Apple released their first phone, the iPhone. A touch sensitive screen rather than a keyboard and a large, for . . . goto page
Samsung Galaxy S Phones
In 2010 Samsung released their Galaxy S range of phones as their flagship phone. These phones have, over the years, d . . . goto page
SIM Deals
On each of the mobile phone operator sites there is a wide variety of mobile phones available at a variety of SIM tari . . . goto page
QAM - Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
There is always a demand to deliver more bits on the carrier wave. 8PSK will deliver 3 bits (8 values) but this me . . . goto page
4G-Drivers for the Technology
Why is 3g not good enough? What are the technology drivers that will give the demand for 4G technology. Because if . . . goto page
5G Drivers for the Technology
A familiar question - why is 4G not good enough? 5G has 3 (potential) impovements over the 4G network namely more c . . . goto page
5G - Overview of Technology
5G is the latest generation of mobile phone technologies, following on from 4G. Indeed it is envisaged that 4G will wo . . . goto page
5G Bandwidth Auction in UK
5G will be delivered (in UK) using a mix of 3 spectrum bands : 700Mhz - to provide the coverage over large areas . . . goto page
Virtual SMS.
Many companies use SMS messages to communicate with customers. For example : Marketing or Advertising Second of . . . goto page
Format of SMS messages.
n SMS message is sent as a series of 140 8 bit characters. These can be decoded into 160 7 bit characters (as usual in . . . goto page
WiMax
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) is a technology standard for long-range wireless networking f . . . goto page
RCS Messaging
SMS is the most basic of mobile messaging systems. There have been enhancements to allow long messages (over 160 c . . . goto page
LTE for Machines (LTE-M)
The model for IoT or Smart devices is that these can be located anywhere but they need some element of communication t . . . goto page
Carrier Aggregation
In a 4G-LTE environment the available bandwidth is split into channels, or component carriers. The standard sizes of . . . goto page
Network Slicing
In a 4G network each operator will have a single network. This of necessity will be a general purpose network support . . . goto page
Heath Issues of Mobile Technology
With every new generatio of mobile phone technology there are claims that the radiation associated with the technology . . . goto page
5G Small and Macro cells.
The big change implemented in 5g is (will be) mmWave, transmission frequency at 26GHz. These waves have a large capac . . . goto page
VoLTE
VoLTE - Voice over LTE - is the protocol for using the 4G network for phone calls. 2G and 3G networks wer . . . goto page
SDL
In a normal mobile connection the channel used is a pair of channels, one uplink and one downlink. The mo . . . goto page
CGNAT- Carrier Grade Network Address Translation
In a home computer network the usual organisation is that the router will have a unique IPv4 address, som . . . goto page
About Us

mobilephonetechnology.co.uk is a collection of terms used in mobile phone technology. The aim is to inform the user regarding mobile phone technology. It is our belief that users who have at least some understanding of the technology behind their phone can make informed choices regarding network use, device or app choice thus getting a better service from the phone and phone company.

An informed user can more confidently understand what is being said about the phone or network in the press or retail outlet and can make better decisions. The aim of this site is to provide some information about mobile phone technology to aid the informing of the mobile phone.

Mobile Phone Technology

2016 was crossover year where over 50% of Internet traffic was driven by mobiles rather than laptops or desktops. The (smart)phone in your pocket is a very powerfull computer with fact connectivity.

The first mobile appeared in 1990 with the aim of providing mobile phone calls. Since then SMS messages were added as a secondary communication medium. The Internet was added in 2001 with the advent of WAP technology. Since then the phones and communications have developed to the modern ubiquitous smartphones of today.

Fast access to the Internet is key to the contemporary mobile phone user. It is needed to support many mobile apps, to deliver fast social media apps and information via the billions of Internet sites. What next? Your guess is as good as mine, but most observers believe that "artificial intelligence" will grow over the next few years.

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