Most people take a cell phone for granted these days. I hear a lot of times, “I was calling across the street and couldn’t get through but could call across the country just fine”. This leads me to believe there are many people that just don’t understand how cell phones actually work.

There are three main parts to a cellular phone system, the phone itself, the cell tower and the MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office) or switch. Each plays an important part in connecting your phone call.

Most familiar to you will be the cellular phone. This device is really just a glorified radio, with a keypad. The user dials the number desired into the handset and presses the send key. This key initiates the calling process and sends the information to the cell tower.

The cell tower is actually a network of towers located across a region; all of which are connected back to the MTSO for that region; but more about that later. The cell tower that is closest to your location will receive the call information and relay it to the MTSO usually via landline T1 or in remote locations microwave transmissions.

The other role of the cell tower is to keep track of all the cell phones in its zone. All cell phones that are powered on emit a homing signal of sorts and keep in contact with the closest tower. This allows the network to quickly route an incoming call to your phone when someone phones you.

The MTSO receives the call information from the cell tower and does some thinking. The MTSO houses all the subscriber data including account info phone number databases rate info etc. It first decides if you are eligible to make and receive calls, then processes the call. It then decides where the call should go; back out to a cell tower, on to another cellular provider’s network or on to a landline phone. The switch also directs incoming calls to you via the last known cell tower you were active on, if you are not located it then routes the call to your voicemail box located on the network.

The connection between you and the cell tower is the most vulnerable part of the connection. If the cell site looses contact with you due to poor signal strength in your home or car while driving, your call will be disconnected or dropped. This is why even if your phone was on but you are in a poor signal area your phone may not ring but a few minutes later a voicemail will pop up on your phone.

For areas with chronic connection issues you may want to invest in a phone signal booster. These devices take the weak signal and amplify it to a usable level inside the building or vehicle. They are typically easy to self install and range in price from the low $100′s for personal short range devices to mid $300′s for a larger home installation, although some professionally installed or commercial installations could bring the price higher.