
Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Cell
Cell
The basic geographic unit of a cellular system. Also, the basis for the generic industry term: "cellular." A city or county is divided into smaller "cells," each of which is equipped with a low-powered radio transmitter/receiver. The cells can vary in size depending upon terrain, capacity demands, etc. By controlling the transmission power, the radio frequencies assigned to one cell can be limited to the boundaries of that cell. When a wireless phone moves from one cell toward another, a computer at the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) monitors the movement and at the proper time, transfers or hands off the phone call to the new cell and another radio frequency. The handoff is performed so quickly that it is not noticeable to the callers.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Synonym(s):
- Blossary:
- Industry/Domain: Mobile communications
- Category: Mobile phones
- Company:
- Product:
- Acronym-Abbreviation:
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
Mine Kafon
A Mine Kafon is a wind-powered device designed to trip landmines as it rolls across the ground. Each ball costs $50 and looks like a starburst, with a ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Browers Terms By Category
- Lingerie(48)
- Underwear(32)
- Skirts & dresses(30)
- Coats & jackets(25)
- Trousers & shorts(22)
- Shirts(17)
Apparel(222) Terms
- Prevention & protection(6450)
- Fire fighting(286)
Fire safety(6736) Terms
- Festivals(20)
- Religious holidays(17)
- National holidays(9)
- Observances(6)
- Unofficial holidays(6)
- International holidays(5)
Holiday(68) Terms
- Meteorology(9063)
- General weather(899)
- Atmospheric chemistry(558)
- Wind(46)
- Clouds(40)
- Storms(37)
Weather(10671) Terms
- Satellites(455)
- Space flight(332)
- Control systems(178)
- Space shuttle(72)