Cellular Telephones

A cellular telephone is basically a two-way walkie-talkie that acts like a telephone. With a walkie-talkie, you either talk or you listen; with a cell phone, you can talk and listen at the same time. You can dial a number to place a call. You can receive calls. You can do fancy things like three-way calls, conference calls, call hold, and voice mail.

All conversations on cell phones are unprotected and can be intercepted!! Don't think of a cell phone as a telephone, think of it more like a radio. Sure, there are laws to protect you against illegal eavesdroppers, but obviously these laws are hard to enforce since it's hard to catch someone listening in on your call. Be careful of what you say (or transmit with a modem) on a cell phone!

A question that has come up a great deal in the past is: "What is the difference between Analog and Digital telephones. To find out, click here.