HowStuffWorks Search HowStuffWorks and the web Video Podcasts Blogs Quizzes Games Forums Adventure Animals Auto Culture Entertainment Home & Garden Money Science Tech Random Article Communication Computer Electronics Home > Tech > Electronics > Phones > Cell Phones **How Cell Phones Work** by Marshall Brain , Jeff Tyson and Julia Layton Print Cite This! Close Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article: Brain, Marshall, Jeff Tyson and Julia Layton. "How Cell Phones Work" 14 November 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://www.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone.htm> 23 July 2011. Cite Feedback **Need tech help?** Check out our how-to tech articles. Inside this Article Introduction to How Cell Phones Work Cell-phone Frequencies Cell-phone Channels Cell-phone Codes Analog Cell Phones Along Comes Digital See more » Inside a Digital Cell Phone Cell Phone Network Technologies: 2G Multi-band vs. Multi-mode Cell Phones Cell-phone Network Technologies: 3G Cell-phone Towers Problems with Cell Phones Lots More Information See all Cell Phones articles Cell Phone Image Gallery Nokia The internal display of the Nokia 6555 has more colors than you can actually see at once. See more cell phone pictures . Millions of people in the United States and around the world use cellular phones. They are such great gadgets -- with a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere! These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on the cell-phone model, you can: Learn More Cell Phone Quiz How Cell-phone Radiation Works HowStuffWorks Forums: Do you ever use your cell phone just to talk anymore? PlanetGreen.com: Cell Phone Radiation Safety Store contact information Make task or to-do lists Keep track of appointments and set reminders Use the built-in calculator for simple math Send or receive e-mail Get information (news, entertainment, stock quotes) from the Internet Play games Watch TV Send text messages Integrate other devices such as PDAs , MP3 players and GPS receivers ­But have you ever wondered how a cell phone works? What makes it different from a regular phone? What do all those terms like PCS, GSM , CDMA and TDMA mean? In this article, we will discuss the technology behind cell phones so that you can see how amazing they really are. If you are thinking about buying a cell phone, be sure to check out How Buying a Cell Phone Works to learn what you should know before making a purchase. To start with, one of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually a radio -- an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and wireless communication can trace its roots to the invention of the radio by Nikolai Tesla in the 1880s (formally presented in 1894 by a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi). It was only natural that these two great technologies would eventually be combined. Next Page **Popular Tech Topics** The Ultimate Computer History Quiz Top 5 Myths About the Internet How to Connect Your Computer to Your TV How Capacitors Work How Cloud Computing Works Take a look at Computer Videos **You Might Also Like** How Dock-N-Talk Works You're ready to cut your land line phone service, but you're not sure your cell phone can work as your main phone line. The Dock-N-Talk turns your home phone into an extension of your cell phone. Problem solved. 10 Free iPhone Applications Are you looking for new iphone applications? Check out this article to find great explanations of free iphone applications! **Popular Articles** You Decide: HowStuffWorks App -- Android or iPhone? How does the walkie-talkie feature on a Nextel phone work? How Cell-phone Viruses Work Inside this Article Introduction to How Cell Phones Work Cell-phone Frequencies Cell-phone Channels Cell-phone Codes Analog Cell Phones Along Comes Digital Inside a Digital Cell Phone Cell Phone Network Technologies: 2G Multi-band vs. Multi-mode Cell Phones Cell-phone Network Technologies: 3G Cell-phone Towers Problems with Cell Phones Lots More Information See all Cell Phones articles Next Page **Tech Quizzes** RAM Quiz Which gadget came first? 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