The mobile technology industry encompasses portable two-way communications devices, computing devices and the networking systems that connect them. This includes cellular communication, 4G networking, mobile apps and other devices such as tablets and smartphones. In the workplace, mobile technology enables employees to work from anywhere, at any time and to collaborate with colleagues remotely. It also helps businesses streamline and accelerate processes to gain a competitive advantage.
The first mobile technology is cellular. Cellular networks use radio signals to communicate between cellphones and with base stations (towers and small buildings that contain the equipment). The handset’s microphone turns the up-and-down sounds of your voice into a pattern of electrical signals. A microchip inside the phone converts these signals into a sequence of numbers that is then beamed out over the air on a radio wave. This radio wave then travels through the air at the speed of light until it reaches the nearest cell phone mast and base station.
Digital cellular technology uses clever modulation and encoding techniques to turn these number patterns into useful information. For example, TDMA-based digital systems use two frequencies – one for 1s and the other for 0s – and alternating quickly between them to transmit data between the phone and the base station. This process allows the phone to hold more than 56 calls at once.
With the emergence of smart phones, mobile technology is becoming more advanced. Increasingly, these devices can be used as mini computers with internet connectivity. Tablets are essentially portable laptops and can perform many of the same functions as desktop PCs, including GPS navigation, gaming and instant messaging. The newest mobile devices are 4G-enabled and can access the internet at much faster speeds than older generations of wireless networks.