How your mobile phone works...

(Published on 2 May 2006 in 'Women at Work' - W @ W - a supplement of the Daily Mirror, Colombo, Sri Lanka)

How often have you stood dumb struck, impressed and overwhelmed by the sheer expanse of Miss Know-All’s knowledge and intelligence? I’ve gotten used to the adulation and the attention I get pets. Idolising someone superior is common amongst you mediocrities.

Ignorance is bliss they say – but for my tribe – having ignorant people around is bliss.Put us on a pedestal and we’ll thrive for we are God’s chosen one. Why else would He endow us and leave you all with the left-over, pretties? From bladder malfunctions to liposuctions, we have an answer for everything.

And now that you are flaunting the latest mobile phone model available in the market – let me ask you a simple question. Are you aware of how your mobile phone works? Or how sending an SMS works? Just when we finally got used to seeing everybody constantly talking on their mobile phones, it suddenly seems like no one is talking at all. Instead, they're typing away to send text messages. You belong to the ‘thumb generation’ - you should surely know how it works, you texters!

Millions of people around the world use cellular phones. You can now talk to anyone or send an SMS to anyone from just about anywhere! SMS stands for ‘short message service’. The cellular system actually functions by dividing a city into small cells(areas). Cells are normally thought of as hexagons on a big hexagonal grid. Each cell has a base station that consists of a tower. This allows extensive frequency re-use across a city. As a result millions of people can use mobile phones simultaneously.

Even if you are not talking on your cell phone, your phone is constantly exchanging information with its cell tower over a pathway called a control channel. The reason for this exchange is so that the cell phone system knows which cell (area) your phone is in, and so that your phone can change cells as you move around. When someone tries to call you, the tower sends your phone a message over the control channel that tells your phone to play its ring tone.

The control channel also provides the pathway for SMS messages. To avoid overloading the system, a 160-character maximum message size has been programmed. However, length limitations vary depending on the network, phone model and wireless carrier. Some phones don't allow you to keep typing once the 160-character limit is reached, while others will automatically break a long message you send into portions of 160 characters and deliver it in two parts or more.

Don’t tax yourselves too much darlings. Feeling snowed under? This must be an overflow of information for you… Did I mention – reading twice helps with comprehension? Until next week – keep those brain cells ticking – at least try.

Miss Know-All
wow@dailymirror.wnl.lk