Connecting to the Wireless Network
When you turn on your wireless phone, it searches for a signal from the closest antenna. It quickly transmits a unique identification number so your service provider knows it’s your device and where it is so you can be served.

Wireless calls are usually transmitted over a landline network. If you’re calling another wireless user, the call will eventually go back through a wireless antenna to the recipient’s wireless device.

So what makes all of this “mobile”? Wireless base stations are “smart” and can sense when your signal can be stronger as you move toward a closer antenna.

That’s how your call stays connected while you’re on the move. Wireless base stations keep track of you, and hand off your signals as you move from one cell to another served by another base station. Using smaller cells, which means more towers or base stations, also enables your device to use less power and keep a clearer signal as you move.

If you travel outside your home area and make a call, another wireless carrier might provide service for your wireless phone. That provider sends a signal back to your home network, so you can send and receive calls as you travel. This is called roaming. Roaming is key to mobile communications, as wireless providers cooperate to provide callers service wherever they go.

Since the shape and size of cells vary, there might also be empty spaces between the coverage areas of two or more cells. These gaps or dead spots can also be caused by trees, tall buildings or other obstructions that block your wireless signal from reaching a nearby antenna. Wireless service providers work hard to provide extensive coverage. Since the laws of physics govern wireless signals, some dead spots exist because a local government or landowner won’t allow placement of a wireless antenna in a specific area or if the signals are disrupted by the topography of an area.

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Last Updated: February 2011