Cellular Phone Technology Trivia Quiz

Answer: Groupe Special Mobile

This group was brought together to standardize the various technologies which were cropping up and was originally convened in Europe. In 1987, the GSM group chose the TDMA technology standard for digital cellular communication and all European Union countries eventually accepted the standard.

Answer: SIM

SIM stands for subscriber identity module. It keeps the information such as your phone number, your billing information and your address book. This makes it much easier to switch from phone to phone. Europeans used the system for years before Americans got this technology. (My exchange student came over here with a phone and her father told her to just take out the SIM card so she could purchase another card to use the phone here in the US. We looked all over and went to a couple cell phone stores before figuring out that we just didn't have that type of technology at the time - and that was in 2000!)

Answer: False

Although in 2006, GSM-900 and 1800 were used in most countries, the US and Canada use GSM-850 and 1900. So in order to have a phone where you could possibly go all over the world, you would need one that could use at least three bands (although quad band phones are also a possibility and give world-wide coverage). The problem is, not all coutnries use the same frequency throughout the country - so when you take your tri band phone that covers GSM 1800 to Europe, it won't work everywhere because in some places, the frequency will be GSM 900 instead. You would need a quad band phone in order to ensure you had coverage everywhere.

GSM-400 and 450 has also been used - mainly in former Soviet republics and Nordic countries.

Answer: Removing a cell phone provider's programming from your phone

Many phones in the United States are sold with the cell phone provider's programming already on the phone. This is because the provider makes more money on the minutes and they sell the phone at a loss. So many people will 'flash' the phones and remove the company's programming from the phone, allowing the phone to be used on another provider's network.

The law in the US isn't exactly clear on whether this is legal or not - the companies claim that the people are in effect stealing phones/technology and are going against a copyright. Those who remove the programming claim that it's no different than deleting unwanted programs that come on your computer when you buy it from the store.

Answer: TracFone

Although several companies had this idea at the same time as TracFone, this company was the one that made it very popular with service throughout the U.S. It also provided a choice of several phones while selling cards at many stores. TracFone also earned a dubious reputation as several individuals were arrested in the summer of 2006 for buying many of the pre-paid cell phones.

The authorities thought the individuals were going to use the cell phones to commit unspecified terrorist acts, but eventually dropped the charges.

Answer: False

TDMA technology was outdated when CDMA technology was current. TDMA phones could use analog or digital signals.

Answer: False

CDMA phones are able to operate using weaker signals when compared to GSM phones. However, GSM phones are the standard phones used in Europe.

Answer: The phone's information is copied

When you make a call, the phone transmits much more than just the number you're dialing and your phone number to the cellular tower. It transmits special numbers which are specific to and identify your phone, called the MIN and ESN numbers, so the cellular phone company knows that it's you who is calling so they can bill you.

When the cellular provider technology falls into the wrong hands, people can figure out what those numbers are and program their own phones to broadcast those numbers, thus making their own phones pretend to be yours - thus having 'cloned' your phone.

Answer: False

Lithium-Ion batteries are much lighter than the Nickel Metal Hydride batteries and they have no 'memory', so you don't have to worry about wearing down the battery before recharging. But the Li-Ion batteries may not have as long a life as the NiMH batteries. According to some reports, Li-Ion batteries lose 20% of their charge per year, which is worse than NiMH batteries.

Answer: short message service

SMS messages are commonly referred to in the US as text messages. In areas of the world where SMS messages are cheap (or even free), the popularity of the technology has soared. One example is the Philippines, where students have organized protests via SMS messages.

Some Nokia phones have come with the option to vibrate SMS messages in Morse code, allowing the receiver to understand messages without needing to look at the phone's display.