Introduction
Mobile phones and pages have different targets, pricing models, and technologies to support them. Cell phones are used for full two-way radio communication (voice and data) between mobile stations called cellular sites, while pagers (also called buzzers) are used for sending and receiving short text messages. Cell phones are by far the most popular electronic device, with over 4.6 billion uses worldwide.
Although pagers are not popular anymore they have a number of uses still providing features that are not likely to ever be available on the current form of cellphones, features such as
a battery life of more than a month, the ability to send a message to about a million devices within 30 secs or less without crashing the network. Ability to keep the network viable notwithstanding the amount of traffic generated (unlike cellphone systems that crash almost every time a major crisis takes place.) This is also the reason that almost every fire department that has ever tried to upgrade by replacing pagers with cellphones has found themselves into major issues and gone back to the tried and tested technology. In this article, we shall study the differences between a Pager and a cellphone and ultimately find out which is more efficient.
Cellphones vs Pagers
The cell phone is an electronic device used for full two-way radio communication between cellular stations or sites called cell sites. A pager, also called a ringtone, is a simple personal communication device used to send and receive brief messages. Mobile phones and pages have different targets, pricing models, and technologies to support them. Cell phones are used for full two-way radio communication (voice and data) between mobile stations called cellular sites, while pagers (also called buzzers) are used for sending and receiving short text messages. Cell phones are by far the most popular electronic device, with over 4.6 billion uses worldwide.
Difference Between Cellphones and Pagers in Tabular Form
| Properties | Cellphones | Pagers |
| Types | Alphanumeric and two-way alphanumeric pager, Numeric, voice/tone pagers. | Alphanumeric and two way alphanumeric pager, Numeric, voice/tone pagers. |
| Basic phones, touch screen phones, smartphones. | Used for two-way radio communication. | Hospitals, fire stations, Etc. |
| Software and Handset and Features | Make and receive calls using the built-in software. Functionality will include GPRS, GPS, compass, accelerometer, camera, games. | No added features |
| Power Supply | USB, car chargers, rechargeable batteries. | Rechargeable batteries only |
| Basic Function | Alphanumeric and two-way alphanumeric pager, Numeric, voice/tone pagers. | Used for sending and receiving short messages. |
What is a Cellphone?
A mobile phone, unlike a landline, is a portable device that can make calls via a radio link as the user moves within the service area of the phone. A radio frequency link connects to the user's mobile phone switching system, providing access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Today's telephone service uses the standard cell phone system, so in North America, cell phones are called cell phones (or "handsets"). Besides calls, digital mobile phones also provide various services such as messaging, mass messaging, e-mail, internet access (via LTE, 5G NR or Wi-Fi), short-range communication (infrared, Bluetooth), and satellite access (Infrared, Bluetooth). supports. navigation, messaging connectivity), business, video games, and digital photography. Cell phones that perform only basic functions are called feature phones; Cell phones that are very capable are called smartphones.
Evolution of Cell Phones
On April 3, 1973, Motorola's Martin Cooper introduced the first cell phone to use a phone weighing about 100 grams in New York. In 1979, the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Company (NTT) produced the world's first mobile phone in Japan. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x became the first commercial mobile phone. From 1983 to 2014, the number of mobile subscriptions in the world exceeded 7 billion, Enough to give one to everyone in the world. In the first quarter of 2016, the world's best smartphone developers were Samsung, Apple and Huawei; Smartphone sales account for 78% of all mobile sales. As of 2016, the top-selling brands of feature phones (slang: "dumb phones") are Samsung, Nokia, and Alcatel.
Mobile phone is considered an important part of human production as it is one of the widely used and sold consumer goods. In some places, such as the UK, where in 1999 all mobile phones exceeded the number of homes, penetration increased rapidly. Today, mobile phones are spread all over the world, and more than 90% of the population is home to at least half of the world's countries.
Cell phones have evolved with time and started to serve a much broader audience. Cell phones went from being inexpensive devices that only support basic functions such as calling and messaging to smartphones that allow users to access the Internet, send and receive email, and make voice calls and video calls, connect with each other via social media. They even have an operating system that can run applications that allow you to turn your phone into a mini-computer.
The phone uses a rechargeable battery and needs to be charged from a power outlet. Other charging methods include USB ports, car chargers, generators or mobile batteries. For the phone to work properly, the SIM card helps to receive a signal from the mobile phone towers that will provide good sound and signal reception.
Cell phones can be used by people of all age groups. There are certain places where using cell phones is prohibited, and they include airplanes, gas stations, theatres, and hospitals. However, as a solution to these restrictions, cell phone manufacturing companies have come up with an ‘in-flight’ mode in cell phones in which the cellular device can remain switched on, but making and receiving calls is prohibited.
What is a Pager?
A pager (also called a beeper or bleeper) is a telecommunications device that is wireless and which receives and showcases voice messages or alphanumerics. Single-way pagers are only capable of receiving messages, while two-way pagers and response pagers can also reply to, acknowledge, and initiate messages by using an internal transmitter.
Pagers operate as part of a paging system consisting of one or more fixed transmitters (or, in the case of answering and two-way pagers, one or more central stations) and many pagers carried by telephone users. These machines range from restaurant machines with low energy machines to the country with thousands of energy base stations. Pagers are mainly used in hospitals, fire stations, security services, shore operations, police and boat crews in all emergency and time-limited workplaces. A pager uses rechargeable batteries, but there is no requirement for any supplementary devices to be connected to the pager. Pagers were created in the 1950s and 1960s and became widely used in the 1980s. The proliferation of mobile phones and smartphones in the 21st century has reduced the size of the pager business. However, some emergency services and public safety personnel continue to use pagers today due to the overlap between pagers, and coupled with the use of satellite communications can make paging systems more reliable than land-based cell phones in certain situations, including in and during the wilderness. emergencies. weather. People create destruction. The attack led public safety agencies to hire mobile operators and other businesses to send critical messages.
Pagers are used for a limited purpose yet, there are four different types of pagers one can choose from:
- A voice/tone pager that helps the user to listen to a pre-recorded voice message when alerted of a page.
- Alphanumeric pagers are a modified and upgraded version of the regular numeric pagers, allowing the users to see texts as well as numbers on the screen.
- Numeric pagers are those pagers that enable the user to see some numbers on the screen, so a call can be placed to the given numbers.
- Two-way alphanumeric pagers are capable of receiving and sending emails and texts.
Operation of Pagers
Paging systems are usually operated by business carriers, mostly subscription services, and also directly by end users as a private process. Commercial carriers tend to cover larger areas than private carriers, which tend to cover their limited areas more thoroughly and transmit messages faster than commercial carriers. In each system, the client sends a message to the pager; this process is commonly known as paging. Operators often provide unique phone numbers or email addresses for pagers (and formerly groups of people), allowing customers to send phone calls, emails and text messages. Paging systems also support different types of direct connections over network communication that sacrifice public address and accessibility. Monitoring and maintenance software is mainly used by hospitals, IT departments and reporting companies and often prefers direct connection due to higher reliability. Small paging systems, such as those used in restaurants and shops, often combine the keypad and paging system in one box, reducing cost and complexity.
The paging system supports a range of modem and socket-based protocols as well as a variety of direct connection protocols including TAP, TNPP, SNPP and WCTP. In addition, organizations often consider integrating the system with voicemail and PBX, linking pages to intercoms, and setting up the website in a way that links pages to other areas of the business. The paging system alerts the pager (or pager group) by sending information over the RF channel, including address and information. This file is formatted using a paging protocol such as 2-tone, 5/6-tone, GOLAY, POCSAG, FLEX, ERMES, or NTT. Two-way pagers and field pagers generally use the ReFLEX protocol.
Long paging systems often use multiple base station transmitters to transmit the same signal over the same RF channel. This process is known as simultaneous broadcasting. This type of design allows the pager to select the strongest signal from many competing transmitters using FM, improving overall performance. The simulcast system usually uses satellites to distribute the same information to several transmitters and uses GPS at each transmitter to accurately time their changes relative to other transmitters. In some cases, including man-made natural disasters, overlapping coverage and the use of satellite communications can make the system more efficient than a telephone. The attack led public safety agencies to hire mobile operators and other businesses to send critical messages.
Current Use
As with many new technologies, the function of the pager has now evolved from a necessary use to a social tool in your personal life. During the rise of the pager, it was the subject of various media, mainly the hip-hop scene of the 1990s. Popular artists of the period, such as Ice Cube, Method Man, and A Group Called Quest, started using new technologies such as pagers. A band called Quest single "Skypager" speaks directly to the importance of this wireless communication tool, and member Q-Tip says Skypager "provides essential communication for young professionals with a full calendar." Pagers are also mentioned in "2-Way Freak" by Three 6 Mafia, "Beepers" by Sir Mix-A-Lot, and "Bug a Boo" by Destiny's Child. Illicit drug dealers played an important role in the use of pagers in the era of "pagers". Run a business in the 1990s and use them to hold meetings with buyers. Gul James Fleming, principal of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida, once called them "symbols of the drug trade," and schools had previously banned them from being carried by boys, while girls read because they were easily "used to organize crime games."
Main Difference Between Cellphones and Pagers in Points
- Cell phones are traceable, whereas pagers are untraceable.
- Pagers can be charged using rechargeable batteries, but on the other side, cell phones can be charged using both rechargeable batteries and car chargers or USBs.
- Cellphones are used for two-way communication and many other activities such as using various mobile applications, sending emails, video calling etc. On the other hand, pagers are used only for sending and receiving short messages.
Conclusion
Although cell phones are more in use in the current day and age because of their varied functions and features, pagers are more helpful when it comes to remote communication, communication in places where cellphones are restricted or carrying out communication when cellphones cease to function.
References
- https://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/148936/cell_phones/two_way_pagers_vs_cell_phones.html
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pager#
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone
